SAN JOSE, CALIF.— This week the juniors competed against the freshman and seniors, and as a result of winning both games, secured their first March Madness title.

The battle of March Madness at Silver Creek occurs between classes every year in mid-March, where only one class comes out victorious. For the first time, the juniors won against the freshman 16-15 and seniors 15-12 to win the March Madness Championship.

Juniors Rehan Nayyar and Ben Phan led the way by earning 23 points in total and using various strategies to pass the ball to one another. For Nayyar, winning was no surprise, as he said, “I wasn’t nervous because neither the freshman team nor senior team can guard me.” Phan agreed saying, “I thought both games were easy and I knew the seniors weren’t good.”

Despite their confidence, Nayyar and Phan underwent various challenges. Both didn’t get to properly warm up and Nayyar states, “I was wearing the wrong shoes for the freshman game and trying to make it interesting for the crowd was also challenging.” 

Nonetheless, both pulled through using each other effectively. Specifically, passing the ball to each other to play against the clock or shoot from different areas of the court.

Looking back, Nayyar and Phan say key moments in their win were watching their own teammates score. Nayyar says, “I think watching me and Stanley scoring was definitely a moment in the tournament that helped seal our win.”

Not only was this tournament fun, but a learning experience for both as a competitor. Phan says, “I’ve realized I’m really competitive but I tend to fold under pressure.” Nayyar is similar, saying, “I like beating my friends and I’m also really competitive.” Advice for future players from Phan and Nayyar is to have fun and you’ll be fine no matter what happens.