In the first game of San Diego Hoops action on Feb. 8, Morgan Stanley remained unbeaten with a close 59-52 victory over Colorworks Painting.

Colorworks got off to a great start, leading 8-0 four minutes into the game. Morgan Stanley was missing two players at the beginning of the game and struggled to find their groove, but soon calmed down. In the next three minutes, the game was tied at 15-15.

Both teams came out strong. Colorworks was looking for an upset, while Morgan Stanley wanted to hold on to their undefeated standing. Morgan Stanley managed to tie the score twice in the first half, but was never able to pull ahead. At halftime, Colorworks held a slim 28-26 lead.

In the second half, Morgan Stanley took off with an 8-point run within the first five minutes, putting Morgan Stanley in the lead for the first time in the game. Morgan Stanley was rebounding well and successfully converting plays into scores, which kept them in the lead in the second half. They were also effectively shutting down the 3-point opportunities for Colorworks, who trailed by 7 at one point.

The game was neck-in-neck with a 1-point lead shuffling back and forth between both teams for about a minute and a half. Morgan Stanley ratcheted up their game once more with even more aggressive offense and tighter defense, and extended their lead to 3 points.

In the end, Morgan Stanley managed to hold onto their lead by playing conservatively, slowing down play and keeping possession of the ball.

“We feel very fortunate to have won this game. I was very proud of this team in how they kept their composure, especially [during] the last minute of the game,” captain/coach Paul Demke said. “Sometimes a game, and even a season, can come down to one play. Danny Player’s driving layup, with a minute [left] to play, to put us up by 3 was the biggest shot of the year for us. If our winning streak continues, we might look back at that shot as our defining moment.”

Demke also lauded the play of Ray Robinson and Vinny Adame. “We wouldn’t have had the opportunity to win the game in the last minute if it wasn’t for their stellar play throughout the game,” Demke said.

“The Colorworks Painting team showed last night what it is all about,” Colorworks captain/coach Jose Cruz said. “We went up against one of the best teams in the league, and not only had them on the run for most of the game, [but we] actually had the lead in the second half. While Tom Nagashima was only able to play for about 12 minutes of the game, in that short time he was unstoppable.”

Cruz also praised the play of Brandon Patchett, Patrick Jackson and Rich Stevenson.

“They rebounded strongly throughout the night and that kept things close. I have no complaints about our play on either side of the ball,” Cruz said.

The high scorers of the game were Demke, who scored 21 points for Morgan Stanley, and Jackson, who scored 14 points for Colorworks.

Morgan Stanley remains undefeated for the season at 12-0, while Colorworks slips to 4-8.

Trailing 33-31 with only five seconds left in overtime, Justin Dorr’s last-second 3-point shot gave 2200 Club a 34-33 upset win over The Loft on Feb. 8.

The last time these two teams met, on Nov. 30, The Loft won 43-39.

Since then, 2200 Club has improved considerably over the course of the season, and it showed during this game. The Loft was able to hold a 16-12 lead at halftime, with both teams playing aggressive offense and tight defense.

In the second half, 2200 Club stepped up their game and played an excellent zone defense, preventing The Loft’s big man, Chad Hermandorfer, from scoring. Effectively shutting down a big danger in The Loft’s offense, 2200 Club was able to stay in the game, and actually had an opportunity to win the game with three seconds left, but Sergio Villegas missed his shot and the game went into overtime.

In overtime, The Loft had many opportunities to break away, but 2200 Club kept their defense tight and successfully shut down the holes as soon as they opened.

2200 Club improved to 3-9, while the Loft slipped to 5-7 overall.

In other league play Feb. 8, Pomegranate dominated in a 56-33 win over Pecs.

Pomegranate bolted out of the gate with a 14-point run, which was left unanswered. Pecs took a timeout to slow down the game, refocus and break up Pomegranate’s momentum. Pecs finally hit the scoreboard when play resumed with 15:09 left in the half. Pomegranate dominated offensively but was called out for fouls a number of times due to overzealous defense. Strong defense was played on both sides, but Pomegranate’s offense was hitting more effectively and that made all the difference.

Pomegranate led at halftime 30-11.

In the second half, Pomegranate went on a 12-1 run before Pecs found their rhythm and managed a 12-point run of their own, which brought them back into the game.

Pecs managed to score 23 points in the second half to Pomegranate’s 26, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the lead Pomegranate had accumulated in the first half.

“Well, it’s the same story with our team this week. We just can’t find a way to score points early enough in the game to give us a chance to win,” Pecs captain/coach David Valenzuela said. “It seems like somebody put a lid on all the rims and we couldn’t make our shots. I’m happy with my team’s play and hustle.”

Dan Newbold led scoring for Pecs with 14 points, and Jason Farr led Pomegranate with 22 points.

Pomegranate remains in second place at 10-2 and Pecs falls to 0-12.

In further league play, AAA Mortgage edged out Hamburger Mary’s 55-48.

AAA jumped to an early lead with a 6-point run within the opening minutes of the first half. They moved the ball up and down the court effortlessly, as Hamburger Mary’s struggled to get their shots to drop. AAA led at halftime 33-20.

Mike Anderson, Hamburger Mary’s leading scorer, was injured early in the second half, but instead of it becoming a runaway for AAA, Hamburger Mary’s stepped up their game and whittled away at AAA’s 13-point lead.

AAA’s lead shrunk and it became a 5-point game 14 minutes into the second half. Unfortunately for Hamburger Mary’s, AAA wasn’t about to relinquish their lead. Even with such a strong showing in the second half, Hamburger Mary’s didn’t have enough to overcome their deficit.

Larry Granville led all scorers of the evening with 26 points for AAA. Curt Janka led Hamburger Mary’s with 15 points.

AAA Mortgage remains in third place for the season with an 8-4 record. Hamburger Mary’s remains in fourth place at 6-6.