A much-improved 2200 Club team did the unexpected and handed Morgan Stanley their only loss of the season in a 52-49 win in the San Diego Hoops basketball league championship game on March 15.

2200 Club, seeded seventh out of eight teams in the league, posted their third upset in a row after dominating third-seeded Pomegranate 41-28 the week before in the semifinals, and second seeded AAA Mortgage in the tournament opener.

2200 Club was trying to prove they were good enough to be there and not just some fluke, while Morgan Stanley was trying to prove to spectators and themselves that they could remain undefeated through the entire season and still win the championship.

It was a great game from the start. 2200 Club got on the board first with some free throws, and both teams came out with barrels firing, playing the toughest defense we’ve seen all season. Five minutes had elapsed before the first shot was made during the game.

About seven minutes had passed before Morgan Stanley took the lead, but it was short lived, as three minutes later 2200 Club had a 5-point lead. Morgan Stanley was rebounding well, but found it difficult to get past 2200 Club’s defense. Trailing 6 points with seven minutes left in the half, Morgan Stanley started trying 3-point shots, but was unable to make any, which also resulted in 2200 Club capitalizing on the misses and building their lead to 12 points. Morgan Stanley made two free throws at the buzzer to bring 2200 Club’s lead to 28-18 at the half.

In the second half, it was clear that Morgan Stanley was on a mission. They came out playing aggressively, running a full-court press and scoring first in the second half.

Both teams continued to play a tough defensive game, illustrated by the fact that only 8 points had been scored in the first four minutes of the second half. 2200 Club remained in the lead throughout the half. Morgan Stanley got within 5 points, trailing 47-42 with 54 seconds remaining.

2200 Club continued their defensive stance, and even got aggressive offensively, forcing Morgan Stanley to start fouling to give themselves a chance to win. Players from each team hit the foul line and felt the pressure, but Justin Dorr and Mo Martinez came through in the clutch for 2200 Club and converted all their free throws.

Not giving up, Paul Demke hit an amazing 3-point shot to get Morgan Stanley within 3 points with just three seconds left on the clock. After a short timeout call by 2200 Club, the ball was in-bounded to 2200’s Amy McClure, who was immediately fouled and went to the line. Although she did not convert, Jeff Praught grabbed the rebound as time ran out.

Robert Simmons led Morgan Stanley with 19 points. Sergio Villegas scored 15 points for 2200 Club

Morgan Stanley actually outscored 2200 Club in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their first-half deficit.

2200 Club ends the post-season with a 7-10 overall record, and Morgan Stanley finishes at 16-1.

Two fairly evenly matched teams squared off in the game to determine third place in the league as Pomegranate slipped past Colorworks Painting 48-45.

Pomegranate started the game with a full roster, while Colorworks only had five players.

Both teams were focusing on defense, not wanting to give away an early lead. Colorworks pulled back into the lead five minutes into the half. It was short-lived, though, as they gave up two free throws on the very next play. The game continued in a tit-for-tat manner, both teams playing good defense and forcing each other to ratchet up their offense in order to score.

Colorworks pulled ahead and built up an 8-point lead with five minutes left in the half. At the half, Colorworks Painting led 30-24.

Both teams were trying to control rebounds knowing that retaining possession of the ball would be the only way to score against such a tough defense. Both teams were doing well, but Colorworks seemed to be penetrating Pomegranate’s defense slightly better.

During the second half, Colorworks was consistently ahead by as much as 9 points as they continued to batter at Pomegranate’s defense. Pomegranate was having some problems getting their shots to fall, but were managing to keep themselves in the game. Pomegranate pulled within 1 point with nine minutes left in the game, and with two and a half minutes left, they secured a 1-point lead.

Colorworks regained their 1-point lead within a minute, only to lose it again. They then took a time-out to regroup with 12 seconds left. Only down by 3 points, Colorworks needed to dig deep to make another basket to tie the game. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t in the cards as Brandon Patchett’s 3-pointer missed at the buzzer.

Pomegranate finished the post-season with a 12-5 record overall. Colorworks completed the season at 6-11.