The game came down to the final seconds, on a rare call, but the clock on Arcadia’s first boys basketball state championship started long before Thursday night.

Greg Richards took over the program last season. The latest new guy. Fourth coach in four years. JV assistant coach from Cactus Shadows.

Something resonated with the players, especially to the current seniors. The 14-13 record a year ago belied what was underneath. And then Richards actually stayed.

Stability.

A successful Section 7 performance over the summer built confidence. Jacobi Thompson walked into the school via California humble, and ready to play team ball. The team opened their arms.

Chemistry.

The team officially started practice on November 3, and it wasn’t long before the preseason goals were established.

Win state surfaced.

Richards warned. Easy to write it, but what are you willing to do?

Determined.

Clearly the Titans were ready to do all that was asked of them as No. 2 Arcadia beat No. 1 Deer Valley 57-51 for the 4A state title at Arizona Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum to cut down the nets for the first time in program history.

“The first thing had to change was stability; they had a lot of guys walk in the door and said, ‘Do what I say,’ and then didn’t stay,” Richards said. “They had to trust me. We had to turn this into a family.”

Senior point guard Max Strauss, who was playing JV as a junior until January 2025, connected off glass to give the Titans a 43-42 lead it never relinquished, but it did get a little tight before a delay of game call pushed the lead in the final seconds to insurmountable before the Titans crashed the court (24-6).

Arcadia led 48-43, but Deer Valley never relented and closed within 51-48 on Sergio Gonzales’ 3-pointer with about five seconds remaining. Deer Valley’s Micah Andrews went for a steal prior to the whistle being blown for the inbounds.

It led to a technical foul, and possession. There was only one person to attempt those shots.

Senior Mason Kendrick stepped up.

Pure and smooth. He made both free throws and acknowledged the student body section, which sent it into a frenzy.

After a few ticks of the clock his teammates joined the celebration.

“Winning state became a reality when we started region,” said Kendrick, who went over 1,000 points in his career this season. “We started to click, and we realized when we play together we are pretty much unstoppable.”

“We started to click, and we realized when we play together we are pretty much unstoppable,” Arcadia senor Mason Kendrick said.

It kept Deer Valley (26-5) as the runner-up for the third time in four years, winning in 2024, after it played out of character as the offense only managed 18 points in the first half, and 15 overall turnovers.

“I told them before the game they couldn’t do anything that would disappoint me tonight,” Skyhawk coach Jedd Dunn said. “I also told them the tougher team will win tonight and (Arcadia) was the tougher team for a longer period.

“We still had a chance at the end. There is nothing to be ashamed of with these boys.”

Dunn said he’ll take making the state finals and coming up short rather than not making it all. He looks at things a little different. Success isn’t just winning percentage, and possessing a piece of the net cut down from winning it all.

“I evaluate success a little differently than just winning games,” Dunn said. “They volunteer with special needs kids, and the GPA is above 3.2 for varsity. We have pasta at my house all of the time and they help my wife. We’re trying to help these kids become young men through the game of basketball.”

Arcadia doesn’t have the winning tradition of Deer Valley, but the Titans set a new standard this year. And the MVP – Thompson – thinks it is just the beginning of sustaned success.

Champions.

“They accepted me from the jump,” said Thompson, who finished with 20 points including 2 of 3 from 3-point. “These guys took me in, and I wanted to be part of something special. Winning this is just the start.”

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Arcadia boys basketball is all smiles after winning the first state title in program history. (Jason P. Skoda/AzPreps365)