The Gilbert Tigers will be taking part in a tournament against the Tucson High Magnet School Badgers at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
While Gilbert didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They snuck past Cesar Chavez with a 58-52 victory on Monday. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 38th, while the Champions are ranked 194th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Adam Medina
| 12/15/25 @ Cesar Chavez | 83% |
| 12/11/25 @ Mesquite | 58% |
| 12/09/25 vs Sunnyside | 55% |
| 12/05/25 @ Hamilton | 67% |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Gilbert to victory, but perhaps none more so than Adam Medina, who almost dropped a double-double with 13 points and nine boards. Medina is also on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as he's posted one of at least 55% in the last four games he's played. Andrew Nichols also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.
Gilbert was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Tucson High Magnet School had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 26.6 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Wednesday. They breezed past the Dorados to the tune of 73-38. The Badgers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 20 points or more this season.
Gilbert better focus on containing Nitai Buchler and Tavion Okougbo as the pair were huge in Tucson High Magnet School's win. Buchler shot 67% from the field on his way to 16 points and six blocks, while Okougbo made all 7 shots he took to post 14 points in addition to six assists and three steals. Those six blocks gave Buchler a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Malaki Cunningham-Hiadzi, who posted eight points along with five rebounds and three blocks.
Gilbert's record is now 8-2. As for Tucson High Magnet School, their record now sits at 6-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Gilbert has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Tucson High Magnet School struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Gilbert barely slipped by Tucson High Magnet School in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, winning 57-56. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Badgers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
