It’s a 3-peat! Chambers rallies past Apex Friendship to make NCHSAA history
When the game, and history, was on the line Saturday in the N.C. 4A state championship, Chambers coach Donnell Rhyne had five underclassmen on the court.
And juniors Zoe Henderson, Aaliyah El and sophomores Seini Hicks, Mila Holloway and Jazlyn Harris came up with big play after big play, unfazed by the moment -- or the very strong opponent.
That sparked a 46-44 come-from-behind win over Apex Friendship (29-3). Chambers (24-6) won its 11th straight game and became the first N.C. 4A girls team to win three straight state titles.
“(Assistant coach Ken) Adams was doing the subbing and he asked me a question,” Rhyne said. “He said, ‘Do you think we should go with them? They’re hot.’ I said let’s go with them. I always tell them you never know, even when you don’t start the game, it’s about how you finish it. And they finished the game well.”
With those young players on the floor, Chambers used a 9-0 run to get 39-37 lead in the fourth quarter. Then, the Cougars withstood some heroic play from McDonald’s All-American Indya Nivar of Apex Friendship, a Stanford recruit who finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
And Chambers did it returning only one regular from last year’s state champion -- senior center Trinity Moreland.
“This team had to persevere through a lot of things on and of the court,” Chambers coach Donnell Rhyne said. “They did a great job this year, just learning how to play together. A lot of them came from different places and had different basketball IQs and different ways of playing, but they all came together and here we are.”
Playing her final high school game,, however, Nivar showed why she’s the best girls basketball player in North Carolina.
Down 43-39, NIvar -- named Ms. Basketball in the state this week -- hit a 3-point shot with 1:46 left. Then as Chambers was trying to run the clock down, NIvar’s steal and layin gave her team a 44-43 lead with less than a minute to play. She finished with 14 points and seven rebounds
But Chambers had an answer to Nivar’s outburst. The Cougars got two free throws from sophomore Holloway to get the lead back. Then, Holloway hit another free throw after an Apex turnover.
The Patriots had a final chance to tie with about three seconds left, but Nivar left her layup attempt just short.
“Sadly, only one team gets to celebrate at the end of the season,” Apex Friendship coach Scott Campbell said. “We’re not going to try to harp on the things we could’ve done better. It’s gone. I just hope this team remembers all the positive things they’ve done.”
Notes/Observations
▪ The championship MVP was Seini Hicks (10 points, 14 rebounds, three assists); the eastern most outstanding player was Indya Nivar; the western most outstanding player was Jazlyn Harris (14 points, four steals)
▪ Neither team played its best game Saturday. Chambers shot 39.5 percent from the field and Apex Friendship shot 28.6 percent. Chambers did out-rebounded Apex Friendship 35-29.
▪ With so many players coming back next season, can Chambers win a fourth straight title? Rhyne played coy.
“It’s an opportunity for a four-peat,” he said. “I’m not going to speak too soon. All I’m going to say is we’re going to enjoy today and we’ll see what will happen in the future.”
PHOTOS FROM THE GAME
This story was originally published March 12, 2022 at 6:59 PM.
