The562’s coverage of Jordan Athletics is sponsored by former LBUSD superintendent Chris Steinhauser and the Timu Foundation.
The562’s coverage of Cabrillo Athletics is sponsored by the Cohn Family.
Even before the ball was in his hands, Alvino Duncan already had a smile on his face.
The junior southpaw was camped out behind the three-point line as his Jordan Panthers ran their play to perfection. Trailing by two points against Cabrillo with the final seconds ticking off the clock, it was going to be his shot with a chance to win the game.
After hauling in a pass from point guard Malachi Burdette, Duncan elevated and fired, hitting nothing but net as the final buzzer sounded.
Once the ball ripped through the nylon, he wasn’t the only one smiling anymore. Duncan was mobbed by his teammates after a thrilling 62-61 win on Wednesday night at Browning High, giving the Panthers a huge lift in their push for the playoffs.
“I was smiling before I got the ball. I already knew I was gonna get it, and when I got it, I already knew it was going in, because I always believe in my shot,” said Duncan, just minutes after his first career buzzer-beater. “All my brothers lifting me up and cheering for me, it felt great. I ain’t never felt like that in my life.”
The win splits the season series in this year’s 710 Rivalry, and puts Jordan in a tie with Cabrillo for third place in the Moore League with less than a week left in the regular season.
The 2025-26 season has been anything but regular for the Panthers, who have been operating without a home gym all season long, and for the past five games, they’ve been without head coach Chris Francis.
Jordan boys’ athletic director Josh Dozier confirmed that Coach Francis last coached the Panthers in their win over Wilson on Jan. 14, and that he is “away from the team indefinitely.”
Francis did not offer comment on his absence via telephone.
Interim head coach Jamaul Huff has been at the helm for the past five games, and none will be more memorable than Wednesday’s buzzer-beater.
“We had lost two in a row, so we were just trying to put everything together, and they stuck together,” said Huff after his second victory as interim coach. “These kids love each other. It’s a team. We had a little bit of turmoil in the middle of the season after we beat Wilson, and we’ve just been sticking together, man. And it just all came together tonight, at the last minute, at the end.”
Huff said it’s been a challenge to be without Francis’ leadership the past two weeks, but that his mark is still very much felt by this team.
“It’s super tough, man. We love our coach. The kids love our coach,” said Huff. “I’ve been under Coach for like seven years. He’s my mentor, I’m his protege, and everything that we all know is from Coach. Even that (game-winning) play, even to the last design of everything we do, it’s a Chris Francis vision. I’m just trying to follow in the footsteps, coach hard, and live up to the standard of Long Beach Jordan Basketball–and that’s winning.”
J-Town started the night well, leading by as many as seven in the opening quarter. Junior Samajay Jackson had all 10 of his points in the first half to give the Panthers a solid foundation, but the Jags had an emphatic answer in the second period.
After consecutive buckets by Jackson made it a 21-12 lead for Jordan, Cabrillo head coach Chris Spencer called a timeout with 6:17 left in the opening half. From that point on, the Jags went on an impressive 15-0 run, which put the visitors on top 27-23 at the break.
Kinsey Obue was a monster on the offensive glass for Cabrillo, finishing with a team-leading 20 points. Sophomore Ului-He-Lotu Eteaki was instrumental in that 15-0 stretch, scoring 11 of his 17 points in the second quarter.
Cabrillo led by as many as a dozen in the third quarter, before J-Town was able to crank up some full-court pressure and go on a 10-0 run. Still, the Jags led 49-44 after three, and led for the entire second half–up until the final buzzer sounded.
Jordan’s Aaron Chiles was a big key in the J-Town comeback, scoring 15 of his game-high 21 points after halftime.
“I had to trust in myself to go get it,” said Chiles. “I’ve been working day in, day out, to go do it, and I’m blessed. I’m blessed to have a team that trusts me to do it. So it’s just about having that mentality that nobody can stop you.”
Even with his production, Jordan found themselves down by two with 12 seconds left. On an inbounds play, a Cabrillo player elevated to receive the pass, then fell to the floor, resulting in a traveling call. That gave the ball back to the Panthers with a chance to win it, and opened the door for Duncan’s heroics.
Duncan set a screen for Chiles at the right wing, then set his feet beyond the arc. Chiles drove to the elbow, then kicked the ball out to Burdette, who rotated it cross-court to a wide open Duncan. The rest was history, and the Panthers swarmed their beloved southpaw in front of the scorer’s table–hoisting him in the air in celebration.
It felt like a particularly cathartic celebration for the Panthers, who hope this is a galvanizing performance in their pursuit of a playoff spot.
“It’s just resilience,” said Chiles of how the team has handled adversity. “You know, we don’t have a head coach. It hurts. It hurts a lot. But it just shows that we’re a resilient team. And like he always said, ‘The show must go on.’ No matter what, missing a player, missing a coach, it doesn’t matter. We have to keep playing, and we’re doing it for him.”
Jordan (14-12, 5-5) will be back in action on Friday night at Long Beach Poly, before ending the regular season with a key showdown against Wilson (17-10, 5-6) next Tuesday at Compton College.
Cabrillo (13-13, 5-5) hosts Millikan on Friday and will visit Long Beach Poly next Tuesday. The Jags, Panthers, and Bruins are all battling for third and fourth place–the final two automatic playoff spots from the Moore League.
