“I reminded them that a game only needs be won by one point,” Tigers Coach Tee Johnson said. “I think a lot of times we win by a lot in this league, so the guys start to feel defeated when the game is close. But it’s simple: We just needed to get one basket at a time, one stop at a time.”

That reminder proved to be the turning point in what would be a 66-52 win.

No. 3 Jackson-Reed (32-2) emerged from its locker room with less than a minute remaining on the halftime clock, giving itself barely enough time for a few warmup shots. Nevertheless, the Tigers were ready to pounce. They opened the third quarter with an electric 11-0 run, capped by a thundering dunk from junior Jayden Fort that forced a timeout by Cardozo (21-4) and brought half of the fans to their feet.

“We just wanted to swing the energy,” Fort said. “We knew the championship was ours if we really wanted it.”

Fort finished with 17 points. Junior forward JJ Massaquoi led the Tigers with 19 points and took home game MVP honors.

The Tigers have won five of the past seven DCIAA titles, falling short in 2020 and 2023. Last winter, the program was stunned in the semifinals by a Bard squad that went on to win it all. The Tigers bounced back this season with an undefeated league campaign, reaffirming themselves as kings of the DCIAA and one of the best teams in the D.C. area.

“We had a chip on our shoulder in practice every day,” senior guard Joseph McRae said. “It feels like we really deserve this moment right now.”

The Tigers can turn their attention to the D.C. State Athletic Association tournament, which they last won in 2018. Last year, Jackson-Reed fell to Sidwell Friends in the state title game.

“We’re going to try to find the balance between keeping our guys as fresh as possible while also keeping them focused,” Johnson said. “We want to be locked in.”