After falling behind, 18-4, early in the first half to Carver Academy, the 8th grade Fightin’ Eagles rallied to win the Fresno Unified Middle School Championship, 40-34, on Dec. 12.
“We’ve been in tough situations before, but this was something new for us,” coach C.J. Haydock said. “Our boys could have definitely lost their composure and stopped believing, but instead they rallied and kept on battling and attacking.”
The Eagles rallied with a 28-6 run in the second quarter, stretching into the second half. After allowing 16 first quarter points, the Eagles held Carver to 18 points over the remaining 3 periods.
Captain and guard Chandler Vargas led the way with 13 points.
“We trust coach Haydock, and our team has proven to be a second half team,” Vargas said. “We play with a lot of heart; we were not going down without a fight.”
The Eagles held Carver to only 34 points, well below their season average.
“Defensively, in the half court, we were near perfect tonight,” Haydock said. “The effort and execution were both there. We pressured the ball and did a good job of being big. We rotated flawlessly. Once we limited Carver points in transition, we were set.”
Carver also got 18 points on second chance opportunities, with the majority of them coming in the first half.
“Jeremiah Brown was in early foul trouble,” assistant coach Michael Ogden said. “But he came back and was an absolute monster in keeping them off the glass. He was big, physical and tough.”
Starting center Brown finished with 8 points to go with 14 rebounds.
“I knew we would win if we played hard,” Brown said. “I think the difference was our confidence in ourselves, and we had great support from the crowd and our coaches who never stopped believing. That was a huge confidence boost.”
The Eagles rallied in the second quarter, and went in to halftime with the score knotted at 20. Point guard Brady Lee pointed to that as the turning point.
“I knew when we came out of the locker room in the second half that we were going to be the better team,” Lee said. “We were in high spirits, and they were tired. We knew what we had to do to stop their offense.”
Lee had 9 points, to go with 6 steals and 3 rebounds. Haydock praised his intelligent play.
“Brady, once again, was flawless tonight,” Haydock said. “He got us into our offensive sets; he made big shots. He was our leader out there; he got stops on defense, and he controlled the game. That?s the sign of a great point guard; the ability to absolutely control a game.”
Lee was thrilled with the team’s success.
“If feels great that all our effort and hard work paid off,” Lee said. “We were in better shape; we played more fundamentally and played with more heart. It was awesome!”
The game was played at Bullard High School to accommodate an expected larger crowd. Attendance at the game was estimated at 400.
“I think the crowd played a big role,” Vargas said. “As the buzzer went off, I had so much adrenaline; my heart was racing and my hands were shaking because we made history.”
The Eagles finished the year with an overall record of 13-3, and a record of 11-1 in Fresno Unified play.
“It’s been a really special year for us, filled with marquee wins like Kastner and Hamilton, and a couple close losses to Rio Vista and Alta Sierra,” Haydock said. “But all that experience playing in close games, in tough environments, against athletic teams perfectly prepared us for tonight. And now we get to go home as the best team in Fresno, knowing we did something special.”
The players each summed up the game a little bit differently. Vargas was appreciative of all the support the team received.
“I want to give God all the glory for this season,” Vargas said. “And I want to thank all our fans for their support and dedication to our team.”
Brown referred to one of the team’s themes for the year.
“Like coach always says, we love each other and believe in each other,” Brown said. “We were tough; basketball was fun tonight. I think that says it all.”
Lee also referenced to a team mantra for the year as he summed up the game.
“We hustled; we battled; and we attacked,” Lee said. “And we are the champions!”