“A-TE-PEC! A-TE-PEC! A-TE-PEC!” It was loud enough in the gymnasium to make one’s eardrums hurt. Fans screamed from the rafters, many decked out in the red and white colors representing the town of San Juan Atepec. People clapped noisemakers, twirled wooden rattles. Spectators overflowed from the bleachers onto the concrete steps and the hardwood floor. At the center of the arena, 10 men from the Oaxacan mountain towns of San Juan Atepec and Natividad took fadeaway jumpers, blocked shots, and dove for loose balls like their village’s honor depended on…
