Ben Pokorny is a Cronkite/Arizona State University journalism student assigned to cover basketball for AZPreps365.com

CHANDLER— Mountain Pointe has finished runners-up three out of the last four years in 6A and started this season with their front foot forward thanks to an 83-48 triumph over the Chandler Wolves on the road at Coy C. Payne Gymnasium Tuesday night. It was the first time in action for the Pride since their magical state tournament run in 2021, which included wins against Perry and Hamilton and ended with a nail-biting one-point loss to Sunnyslope in the state championship game.  

After the Pride won the opening tip-off Tuesday, Mountain Pointe head coach Kaimarr Price shouted one word from the sidelines that would set the tone for the rest of the game...Aggression. After junior shooting guard Tru Washington converted two shots from the free-throw line to start the contest, the Pride launched into a full-court press defensively that would seemingly last until custodians were picking up debris in the gymnasium after the game.

The suffocating double teams and constant disruption of passing lanes by Mountain Pointe drew a timeout from the Chandler bench just 52 seconds into the game, with the Pride already out to a 5-0 lead. The Pride’s defensive pressure presented them with a buffet of scoring opportunities. The 6'3" Washington, an ESPN Top 60 recruit in the Class of 2023, threw down two monster dunks in one minute. Washington’s dunks, coupled with stellar perimeter shooting from senior Pride guard Tanner Pate, launched the Pride to an 18-0 lead halfway through the first quarter of play.

Chandler recorded their first basket of the game with 3:15 left in the first and started to sporadically break the air-tight full-court press of Mountain Pointe and clawed the game back to a 27-8 by the end of the first frame.  

Ezias Steffen led the Wolves in scoring in the first half, with eight points, but four of Mountain Pointe’s starting five chalked up more than that total. Washington matched Steffen in scoring after just the first quarter, with an alley-oop lob from Mark Brown that tested the durability of the backboard sprinkled in for good measure. The Pride’s crisp passing, consistently stout defensive play, and of course, ability to get above the rim put them well out in front at the halftime break. The Pride dashed off to the locker room leading 50-16.

The Pride entered the second half with a roar and continued their defensive dominance while still playing clean and for the most part foul-free basketball, something that was a huge focal point in the pre-season. “We have worked on our discipline non-stop," said coach Price. "I think a lack of discipline has been what held us back from winning a championship the past two years, and we have really focused on that this year.”

Mountain Pointe coach Kaimarr Price talks with his team during a timeout late in the first half. (Ben Pokorny/AZPreps365)Mark Brown shined offensively in the second half for Mountain Pointe, knocking down four shots from beyond the arch to finish the game with 21 points. Teammate Jayven Price notched eight points in the second half, thanks to physical play off the glass that led to multiple putback opportunities. 

The Pride rolled their way through the third quarter and entered the fourth with a running clock as Mountain Pointe had a chance to rotate through its bench. Nearly every player on the roster earned opening night minutes and gave stars like Washington a chance to share the wealth. “In the fourth quarter we were up," said Washington, "so I thought it was a great chance to work on my game and get my teammates involved.”

Washington has offers from a laundry list of power five schools, including Texas Tech, LSU, TCU, and Arizona State.

The Pride will be in action again the week on Thursday. They will travel to South Mountain to take on the Jaguars for a 7 p.m. tip-off.