Young Gunz claim NABI Boys National Title with 78–64 win over Rezbombers

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

PHOENIX

The 22nd Annual Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI) Boys National Championship belonged to the Young Gunz of Arizona, who capped off a perfect tournament run by defeating the Rezbombers 78–64 on Saturday night at PHX Arena.

Led by Central High School brothers Grant and John Mattingly—both 2024 AIA 5A State Champions—the Young Gunz went undefeated at 10–0, including a 3–0 run through pool play and a dominant 7–0 sweep in the single-elimination bracket. The team, though newly formed, played with the cohesion of a seasoned squad, blending talent from across the Southwest and beyond.

“We built this team ourselves,” said Grant Mattingly. “It started with our family and we picked up players we knew. Everyone came from all over.”

The core included valley standouts Stephan Ironshell, Isreal Loring, Gabriel Childers, and Jarren Galarza, along with familiar faces like Isaac David (Winslow High) and Kristian Touchine (Rehoboth Christian). The Young Gunz also featured Palm Springs High’s Kelynn Mount and Darwin Gambler III.

Across the court, the Rezbombers came in battle-tested under head coach Brian Kaye, who earlier that day had celebrated a national title coaching the girls division championship team. Kaye’s boys roster featured Navajo Prep graduate Xavier Nez and the Gonzales brothers—Simon and Sergio—from Deer Valley High, both of whom had been consistent scorers throughout the tournament.

First-half push

The championship tipped off with a blazing 9–0 run from the Young Gunz before Sergio Gonzales responded for the Rezbombers, scoring five quick points to spark his team’s offense. Sergio poured in nine of the Rezbombers’ first 12 points and kept the squad in striking distance. A 3-pointer from Nez helped tie the game at 17–17 with nine minutes left in the half.

Out of a timeout, the Young Gunz reasserted control, scoring eight straight points while the Rezbombers went cold for four minutes. Nez ended the drought, but the Young Gunz maintained their lead, going up 30–19. The Rezbombers made a small push to close the half on a 5–2 run, narrowing the margin to 37–30.

At the break, Sergio Gonzales led all scorers with 13 points. Ironshell had 11 for the Young Gunz, while the Mattingly brothers tallied eight points each.

Sealing the win

The second half became a test of tempo. While the Rezbombers looked to speed things up, the Young Gunz maintained composure and controlled the pace. The closest the Rezbombers came was at the five-minute mark when Nez knocked down a trey to trim the deficit to 61–55.

But the Young Gunz responded with a final surge, outscoring the Bombers 17–9 the rest of the way—much of it from the free-throw line. John Mattingly hit six straight from the stripe and finished with 25 points. Grant added 16 and Ironshell chipped in 13.

For the Rezbombers, Sergio Gonzales finished with 20 points, Simon Gonzales added 15, and Nez closed with 11.

Postgame reflections

“We weren’t expected to be here,” said Rezbombers head coach Brian Kaye. “But we kept winning. In the quarters and semis, we were hitting shots and playing our fast-paced game. Today, the shots didn’t fall, and our guys were gassed trying to keep the energy up. Still, they stayed composed and played together as a brotherhood.”

Grant Mattingly acknowledged the Rezbombers’ quick style but credited his team’s size and discipline.

“We kept the game at our pace,” he said. “They’re smaller and fast, but we stayed inside the 3-point line, used our size, and finished at the basket.”

The road to the championship

The Rezbombers finishing with an overall 8–1 record. They began their campaign in dominant fashion during pool play, opening with a staggering 121–4 victory over the Apache Gunners, a team made up of White Mountain Apache players. They followed up with solid wins to go undefeated in pool play and punched their ticket into the single-elimination bracket.

In the opening round of the tournament, the Rezbombers rolled past the San Carlos Apaches 94–40. From there, the competition only got tougher. They next faced the Rez Runners, a Northern Cheyenne squad known for its defense, and came out with a hard-fought 50–38 win.

In the round of 16, the Rezbombers met the Young Runners, a mixed team representing Cheyenne Arapaho, Kiowa, Chickasaw, Comanche, Citizen Potawatomi, and Sac & Fox nations. It was one of the tournament’s most high-energy matchups, but the Bombers kept their rhythm and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Waiting there was a towering Canadian team known as the Wolves, composed of players from the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Six Nations of the Grand River, Kahnawake, and Serpent River. The Wolves were known for scoring above the rim and using their size to dominate the paint. But the Rezbombers countered with speed, discipline, and precise shooting to earn an 83–58 win and move on to the semis.

In the semifinals, the Rezbombers faced Thorpe Family, a tough and physical team out of South Dakota made up of Oglala Lakota players. Again, the Bombers’ high-tempo style paid off, as they secured a 58–45 win to earn their spot in the national title game.

Meanwhile, the Young Gunz blazed a trail of dominance through their side of the bracket, beginning with a resounding 125–4 victory over the Thunderbirds, a team of Navajo players from New Mexico. The Arizona-based team kept their momentum going, dispatching The Originals—a team from Wisconsin representing the Menominee and Red Cliff nations—by a score of 80–42.

In the third round, they faced the AZ Warriors, a regional squad comprised of Navajo, Hopi, Choctaw, O’odham, and Yaqui players, and secured a 64–41 win. Their next opponent, Unconquered—a Florida-based team of Seminole players—pushed them to play more strategically, but the Young Gunz prevailed 63–45.

As the field narrowed, the competition intensified. In the quarterfinals, they faced Birdmen YG, a tough group of players from Washington representing the Oglala Sioux, Coeur d’Alene, and Colville tribes. The Young Gunz held their composure and closed out a 74–63 win.

Their semifinal opponent, PACK, was a formidable coalition from the Northern Plains, featuring players from Standing Rock Sioux, Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, Oglala Nation, Cheyenne River Sioux, and Spirit Lake. The Young Gunz brought their A-game, storming to a commanding 77–47 victory to earn a spot in the championship showdown.

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