Basketball game ends tied after blocked shot

Seth Louis // Contributing Writer

“This Is It”, one of the intramural basketball teams, started the game against the “Alpha Motor Neurons” with one player down. The team had to play most of the first half four on five.

They started the game in a 2-2 defensive scheme: two men up top and two men down low.

They took a 9-7 lead in the game and kept control for much of the first half, never relinquishing their lead.

“We were not prepared for that,”  said Jordan Davis of Alpha Motor Neurons. “It actually hindered us more than it helped, there was no familiarity facing a 2-2 zone and everyone was confused.”

With 11 minutes left to play in the half, This Is It now had five players on the court. Defense was switched to a man-on-man scheme and the players were now able to move the ball better on offense. The team took a two-point lead at the half with a score of 37-35.

In the second half, both teams competed hard, trading basket for basket. Holding on to a four-point lead with two minutes remaining, This Is It made a late-game substitution, taking out one of their primary ball handlers.

Instead of running out the clock, This Is It made a few plays and unsuccessful shots that allowed Alpha Motor Neurons to come back and tie the game with just under 20 seconds left to play.

This Is It had one more chance to win the game with a last-second shot with 10 seconds remaining. The shot bounced off the rim with Alpha Motor Neurons rebounding and quickly calling a timeout.

After the timeout, Alpha Motor Neurons designed a play to get one of its players free for a full-court pass. Caleb Swanner’s opponent hauled in the pass. Swanner managed to block the layup attempt without fouling his man. Two seconds now remained for Alpha Motor Neurons.

The team attempted to inbound the ball and almost got a five-second violation. The inbounder found a teammate in the lane toward the rim. The player tried to go up for the layup, but again Swanner blocked the shot. Time expired with a score of 57-57.

With no overtime during the regular season, the game ended with both teams tied.