In week five of the season, Kickers takes a fall at the hands of Morgan Stanley, leaving Fusion and Moby Dick’s in a tie for second place in the San Diego Hoops basketball league. Meanwhile, as the top teams battle it out, there is a major tie for fifth place in the league, with four teams posting 1-4 records.

In the first game of the night it was Fusion versus Hummingbird/Brians’. Hummingbird/Brians’ has had a rough start this season and hasn’t been able to catch a break, even with the all-star talent of Dwight Dunn helping them out.

“He’s always the main worry,” Stuart Leung, the Fusion coach said following the game. “If the game plan is not to stop Dwight when you’re on the defense, you’ve got a really bad game plan. He was our main focus and he still scored 30-some points for them. That’s how good of a player he is.”

Fusion took an early lead in the first half, but Hummingbird/Brians’ got back into the game 10 minutes into it, tying things up. However, with no subs on the bench, Hummingbird/Brians’ began to wear down, and as the half was coming to a close they found themselves facing a 10-point deficit. Time expired with Dunn at the free throw line sinking two to narrow the Fusion lead over Hummingbird/Brians’ to 27-19.

In the second half Fusion continued to build on their lead, making it 54-35 with 6:32 left on the clock when Hummingbird/Brians’ called a timeout to regroup and try to stage a comeback. In the final minutes of the game Hummingbird/Brians’ put up a good fight, but it was too little, too late as Fusion toppled them, 64-52.

“We think we’re a pretty decent team and we think we can almost beat any team,” Leung said following the game. “We don’t expect to slaughter anybody, but we expect to win almost every game.”

Standing out for Fusion was Joseph Ayala, whose hustle on the court kept them in the game and took advantage of the shorthanded Hummingbird/Brians’ team.

“We talked run,” Leung said. “They’ve only got five guys and we talked run the whole game and [Joseph Ayala] is the only one that really did. The rest of us were just really tired, but he kept going and he was hitting jump shots and everything.”

In other week six basketball action, Moby Dick’s beat The Loft, 46-41, to maintain their tie for second place with Fusion. Pecs picked up their first win of the season with a nail-biter against Powerhouse Gym, final score 43-40. Last but not least, Morgan Stanley’s dominance continues with a 54-38 win over Kickers. The win adds to Morgan Stanley’s perfect record for the season and knocks Kickers out of a tie for second place.

Basketball season continues next Wednesday at the Golden Hill Recreation Center. This Saturday basketball fans and league members are invited to attend the league’s holiday party at Moby Dick’s. The party starts at 7:00 p.m. and the league will be holding a toy drive as well.