Rattlers Historic Playoff Run Halted by Brennan Bears

By Thomas Terry 

Sports Reporter

Over the weekend, the San Marcos Rattlers (37-3), entering play Friday March 3, 2022, participated in the fifth round of the Region IV tournament against the Warren Warriors (31-6). It was discussed on Bobcat Radio on Wednesday about how Warren was one of the toughest defensive teams in the state of Texas.

In the first half of gameplay, both teams displayed tremendous efforts on defense and crashing the offensive glass. It wasn’t until about the halfway point in the second quarter that both teams started to hit their stride on offense. It was a slow start for Warrior’s star forward Jaylon Crocker-Johnson; then he turned it around in the second half.

The game was tied going into the fourth quarter 39-39. Kaden Gumbs’ impressive display of leadership in the fourth quarter showed as he constantly disrupted the Warriors flow of offense and made transition baskets. Finally, after a shaky attempt at the free throw line by Gumbs, Warren was unable to get off a game-tying shot in the period and fell to the Rattlers 53-50.

The final nail in the coffin for the Warriors would have to have been the moment Crocker-Johnson picked up his fifth foul in the final quarter. Crocker-Johnson was the heart and soul of that Warriors squad.

Kaden Gumbs finished his night with 20 points on 8-15 shooting from the field. Gumbs also got his teammates involved as the leading assist-man in the state of Texas, dishing out seven assists. Senior Malik Presley was the Rattlers’ second leading scorer with 14 points.

After defeating the Warren Warriors 53-50 Friday night, the Rattlers would be slated to face the Brennan Bears (31-7) in the Region IV Championship game the following Saturday afternoon. Both teams played back-to-backs in the playoffs as Brennan also played the night before. Surprisingly both teams showed no signs of fatigue as they started the game.

The first quarter of the game was neck and neck as it was virtually a basket-trading session between the Bears and Rattlers. The Bears then went on a large scoring run in the second quarter led by sophomore guard Kingston Flemings. Flemings was a flame that could not be extinguished as he drained multiple pullup threes and jump shots in the period. The Bears outscored the Rattlers 24-8 in the second quarter giving Brennan a 43-25 advantage at halftime.

With the season on the line and a state tournament berth at stake, the Rattlers battled hard throughout the third quarter. Nevertheless, with every punch thrown by the Rattlers, the Bears had an answer. Kingston Flemings would go on to finish with a whopping 31 points on 10-15 shooting and lead the Bears to victory over Rattlers. Malik Presley led all Rattlers with 22 points. The storied season would come to an end with a 38-4 finish. There was much for the Rattlers to hang their hats on as they accomplished many things throughout the season just falling short in the Regional Championship game.

Featured Image by Beau Kelly.