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Antonian Wins the 2021 ACH Classic

By Antonio G. Castillo, 11/14/21, 2:00PM CST

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Apaches grind their way to win the 2021 ACH Classic

San Antonio, TX-

                On Saturday evening, the AlamoCityHoops Classic Championship between Antonain High School and A&M Consolidated High School, was an epic ending to what was an extremely competitive and incredibly well played weekend of season opening basketball in the State of Texas.

Trailing by as many as eleven points, 36-25 early in the third quarter, the Apache’s would somehow muster just enough offense to come out on the winning side.

Uncharacteristically, Antonian was held to 39 points after three quarters, and had only 25 at the half. It spoke volumes to the defensive effort that Coach Daily (Andrew) and his A&M Consolidated Tigers gave all game.

Down 44-41 at the 6-minute mark, it just seemed to click for Antonian junior guard Santiago Ochoa. He would calmly sink a triple from the top of the arc, making it 44 all. On the ensuing possession, almost from the same spot, he’d swish another, giving them a 47-44 lead with 5:36 to play.

Consolidated would answer, as Zaylan Duren would respond with one of his two treys on the day, knotting it back up at 49 all with just under 4 minutes remaining in the contest.

After each team hit one free throw a piece, Ochoa would again, shoulder the offensive load, cut down the middle sink the basket and get the foul. He’d capitalize on the 3-point play, giving Antonian a 53-50 lead with 1:45 left. Both clubs would exchange some free throws and the Tigers would have last one shot with 8 seconds remaining, trailing 55-54.

 Duren would drive from the right wing and put up a 1 handed runner from about 12 ft that was off the mark to the right. The ball would carom to the right corner, where it would end up in the hands of Justin Gooden, who took two dribbles to his left and threw up a contested 3-ptr that would fall short, leading to the Apaches and their faithful erupting in celebration. Exhausted, but extremely content, Antonian had prevailed, 55-54.

Ochoa would register 23 points in the Championship, making key buckets and play after play. He finished averaging  23 ppg for the tournament, knocked down 10 three-pointers on the weekend and took home Tournament MVP Honors for his performance.

Both teams ran the gauntlet, going 3-0 to get to the Championship on Saturday night. The Apache’s, defending TAPPS 6A State Champions, are known for their blistering pace and offensive outbursts. Early on, it looked no different, as freshman Isaiah Fox would connect on trey from the wing, giving Antonian an early 8-0 lead out of the gate.

That’s when the personality and traits of Consolidated Head Coach, Andrew Daily, took over in his team. The Tigers were unleashed, and their defensive intensity was helacious. Justin Gooden would start the scoring for A&M, sinking a trey, and a few more buckets would ensue, including another three-pointer from Zaylan Duren, quickly tying up the game at 8 a piece.  

Antonian would struggle with their perimeter game, making the defensive effort that much more stifling from Consolidated. Kaden Lewis would drive down the center of the lane and with a scoop lay-up, tie it up at 15, after eight minutes of play.

The defensive effort would not let up from the Tigers. Using that edge, they outscored Antonian 17-10 in the second quarter, and used a two-handed put back by Jonathan Love at the halftime buzzer to give them a 32-25 heading to the break.

More of the same continued in the third quarter, as A&M Consolidated added two more buckets, prompting Antonian Head Coach Rudy Bernal to use a timeout, staring at an 11-point deficit, 36-25.  

For the game, the Tigers were led by both Duren and Lewis who finished with 10 points a piece, as they completed the weekend with a surprising and impressive runner-up (3-1) finish. Ziyan Ali was the Tigers most consistent performer and the 6’2” senior guard took home All-Tournament Honors for his play over the four-game stretch.

Antonian went unblemished 4-0, and with TAPPS schools beginning their season last week, they are now standing 7-0 overall after two weeks of competition, embarking on the long journey to defend their TAPPS 6A State Championship.

Here’s a quick look at how both teams got to the Championship game:

Antonian HS (4-0)
W 72-41 Morton Ranch HS
W 81-80 OT Cole HS
W 82-71 Westbury Christian HS (Semifinal)
W 55-54 A&M Consolidated (Championship)

A&M Consolidated HS (3-1)
W 69-58 Killeen Ellison HS
W 52-33 Round Rock Homeschool
W 62-53 Naaman Forest HS (Semifinal)
L  55-54  Antonian HS (Championship)