Jesuit basketball reigns as the 5A State champions after their win in the championship game against American Heritage on Saturday, March 1, at the Lakeland Center.

After months of practice and dedication, Jesuit capped a dream season with a win and fulfilled a longtime goal of bringing home a state championship. The fact that this win was the program’s first basketball title in 29 years made the victory all the more special.

The Jesuit Tigers are led by seniors Jack Fleming, Jj Weir, Travis Johnson, Devin Harris, and Joey Galvis.

American Heritage lacked this senior leadership and ultimately the experience needed to come out on top. The young American Heritage team ended the season with 21 wins and eight losses.

Jesuit was the number one team in its classification this season with an almost flawless record of 31-1, so American Heritage, ranked seventh in its class, was not projected to win. However, anything can happen in a championship game. When American Heritage began to come back, it was not surprising.

Senior Jack Fleming came out hot in the first half, scoring a majority of the Tiger’s points. Joey Galvis carried the team the the whole game with his aggressive defense and point-scoring ability and earned the award of the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Seniors Travis Johnson and Devin Harris and Junior Isaiah Omoregie contributed greatly as well.

Senior Jesuit cheerleader Lillian Giunta recounts her experience of the atmosphere at the game and her past four years cheering for Jesuit. “Since Ryann, Meagan, and I have been cheering on Varsity for the past four years, ending our cheerleading career with a state title was the best possible outcome. It was amazing to see the boys progress and improve as a team. And of course, nothing beats the court side seats on our marvelous last game cheering for Jesuit.”

The final score was 79-58.