San Marcos takes first place at River City Classic

NEW BRAUNFELS — It’s rare for San Marcos junior forward Malik Presley to come off the floor. It’s just as rare for junior guard Kaden Gumbs to come out of the game.

But both of the Rattlers’ top scorers on the bench together? It almost never happens without the Rattlers up big in the fourth quarter. It’s especially not something the team has much experience with when the game is on the line.

San Marcos ran into that scenario in the championship round of the River City Classic on Saturday, facing Hutto inside the Cougar Den at New Braunfels Canyon. It was one of many new experiences for the purple and white.

“We've been learning how to play as a team and move the ball around,” junior forward Mateus Perkins said. “And by doing that, we're hitting extra shots, getting more open shots and we're just running up the scoreboard.”

Head coach Dan Miller wanted his team to treat the weekend like they were in the NCAA tournament. Thursday started with the “Round of 64 and 32” — though, it was really only 24 teams playing two games of pool play. San Marcos took a 79-60 win over New Braunfels John Paul II in their first game and a 62-39 win over Magnolia in the second to earn the top seed in the pool.

Next came the “Sweet 16” and “Elite Eight” matchups on Friday. The Rattlers blew past San Antonio Roosevelt, 91-50, and San Antonio O’Connor, 82-53. The team found something to improve on each game, whether it be their warm-up routine, their communication or their chemistry.

“I just feel like guys are really forming into their roles — first five, key guys off the bench like (junior guard) Jaidyn Brown making plays,” Miller said. “So they kind of know their role and they're just embracing it. And then there's togetherness on this team, you can just start to feel it get a little bit more, each and every day, playing for each other. So that part's good.”

San Marcos edged out Schertz Clemens in the Final Four on Saturday, 64-58, advancing to the championship game against Hutto. The Hippos posed an interesting challenge to the Rattlers as a team that likes to slow down and grind through possessions, clashing with San Marcos’ run-and-gun style.

The Rattlers were able to speed Hutto up by forcing turnovers early in the first. Brown stole the ball away and pulled up from the right wing on the fast break for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave the purple and white a 17-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Hippos chipped away, forcing turnovers of their own and finding more paths to the rim. By halftime, they only trailed 23-18. San Marcos kept its distance though, staying in front by seven or more points.

Presley picked up his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter. Soon after, Gumbs picked up his fourth foul. Miller pulled both players off the floor with 6:19 on the clock and the team up 49-40, saving them for later in the game. The Rattlers rolled out a lineup of Brown, Perkins, senior guard Caleb Williams and freshman guards Cash Good and Abel Trevino. It was new territory for San Marcos.

Over the next three minutes, the group not only maintained the team’s lead, but extended it. By the time Presley and Gumbs entered back into the game at the 3:27 mark, the Rattlers led 59-49.

“It was great, I was so proud, man. And I was so proud to see Cash out there handling the ball, you know, Abel and Caleb knocking down shots,” Presley said. “It tells us that we're deep. You know, we got five and five, so when we get tired going into playoffs and against better teams, we know our second group can handle it.”

San Marcos held the Hippos off in the closing minutes, taking a 67-61 victory and claiming the River City Classic trophy. The Rattlers (13-4), now on an eight-game winning streak, will compete one more time before beginning district play, taking on New Braunfels (11-4) this Friday inside the Snake Pit at 7 p.m.

“We saw a lot of good things during this tournament but there's also a lot of things from a coaching standpoint that I want to work on in practice,” Miller said. “So I'm excited to tighten a few things up. I thought our transition defense, at times, wasn't what it needed to be. And just a few things on offense with our ball movement wasn't what I'd like. So I want to have some good practices. I know a game against New Braunfels will be a great game because they're a good team and both teams will play hard in that one. But then hopefully, just be ready when we set up our district play.”