Christian Babcock is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Mountain Pointe High School for AZPreps365.com.

​​​​​​​Mountain Pointe’s bus pulled into McClintock High School late last Thursday afternoon, setting the stage for a pivotal moment.

But not a basketball game.

“Hey, we’re going to Chandler!” a voice from the back cried out.

The driver paused for a moment. Without saying a word, he shifted out of park and got back on the road. He had another chance to get it right. 

So did the Pride. Their last game at Chandler, they led big before the Wolves came back to win. Would it be different this time?

Upon arrival at the proper location, Chandler’s rowdy home crowd greeted the Pride. At stake was a spot in the state championship.

The gravity of the semifinal matchup was not lost on Mountain Pointe.

“This is why we play the game,” assistant coach Wallace Caston said before the game. “Y'all see that beautiful crowd out there? They think they came to see them. They came to see us.”

“We worked our (tails) off all summer and all season long for these moments right here,” assistant coach Jason Kimbrough Sr. added. “This is everything that y'all talk about, right? Big-time crowd, big-time game. Now let's get a big-time performance!"

Head coach Kaimarr Price encouraged his team to translate its emotion to the court.

“Fear, if you have it, that's perfectly normal,” he said. “Some of you should probably have some fear. You get fear when you work so hard to prepare for something and it's at stake right now. It might come to an end. That's the fear you should have in you. Channel that all to energy to go dominate.”

The capacity crowd roared as Chandler jumped out to an early 6-2 lead. Mountain Pointe’s offense, like its bus, was lost at first.

But the Pride began to force turnovers and get out in the open floor. Senior guard T.J. Tigler, pesky at the top of the press, exploded for 11 points. Chandler’s 9-8 first-quarter lead became a 28-15 halftime advantage for Mountain Pointe.

Could they hold on?

"We've been here before,” Kimbrough Sr. said at the half. “Here's your redo button. Right now."

“Finish this kill,” Price added.

After halftime adjustments had been sorted out, the Pride grouped together for a breakdown prior to retaking the court. But not before someone spoke up.

"Hey, I got something to say,” sophomore guard Anthony Jaramillo said. “It's 0-0 this half. Come with energy, come on."

As the third quarter began, a repeat appeared possible. Chandler center Nicholas Riley, feeding off the energy of the home crowd, poured in 12 points as the Wolves cut the deficit to seven. But behind balanced scoring, Mountain Pointe stretched the deficit to 45-34 by quarter’s end.

In the fourth, the Pride pulled away, riding a 10-0 run to a 70-52 win and ticket for the title game against Desert Vista Tuesday. Mountain Pointe students stormed the court, mobbing the team.

Tigler, who had a career-high 23 points, was an especially popular draw. This continued in the locker room.

“T.J., amazing,” assistant coach Malik Sanders said. “We're a much better team when you're on the court, and you showed it today. Way to step up.”

Assistant Ben Daulton looked back at the team’s journey.

"After tryouts, me and Kaimarr were talking,” he said. “We're like, 'Man, this is gonna be tough. But we have the talent, we could win state.' We have come SO far. I am so proud of you guys, man … But we have one more game. Like, it is not done. This is not the championship. This is a great experience, but we have one more game. One more game and then you live forever."

Caston concurred.

“I'm so, so proud of the steps we've taken as a team,” he said. “It's so beautiful to see you guys all cheering for each other, not giving a damn who's on the court. When your number is called, you just step in and get the job done … And I promise you this. If you finish this, you guys are gonna remain brothers for life."

Price outlined the preparation the Pride would undertake for the championship game.

“Struggle is what got us here,” he said. “So now's not the time to relax. I have to push you guys to the point of struggle the next few days. You guys have to push each other in practice to the point of struggle. That could be physical some days, that could be mentally some days.”

He finished with a note on Desert Vista, the Pride’s crosstown rival in Ahwatukee.

“Last but not least, we go to Mountain Pointe High School,” Price said. “So in that alone, there's a level of hate for Desert Vista that's ingrained in us. Take that out on them Tuesday.”