In a curiously strong performance on Tuesday night, the No. 8
A.L.T.O.I.D.S team upset the No. 2 Sigma Chi fraternity team in the
men’s IM AA basketball final.
The A.L.T.O.I.D.S, a team of friends who met playing basketball
on Collins Court, were able to cap off their turbulent season with
a 47-44 win in a nail-biting championship game that went to
overtime.
“I thought we played pretty well, but our defense was
slow,” point guard Ben Lev said. “But we knocked down
shots when we needed to.”
Lev was responsible for two of those shots, as he coolly hit two
free throws with 16 seconds left to put his team up 46-44 in
overtime.
“I knew I was going to make them,” Lev said.
“I’ve been there before.”
Like many players in the final game Lev played prep ball in high
school. Three of his teammates played together at Long Beach Poly,
including former prep standout Shea Anderson. However, he chose to
stay close to attend UCLA, where he failed to walk on to the team
because of his high blood pressure.
Although the A.L.T.O.I.D.S. prep history showed in its ability
to hit key outside shots against last year’s champion,
outstanding offensive rebounding by Sigma Chi center Benji Phillips
kept his team close.
“(Phillips) was getting in the lane and getting a lot of
inside shots,” Anderson said. “He was the focal point
of their offense.”
Unfortunately for Sigma Chi, Phillips fouled out on a
controversial call with 2:15 left and the score tied 44-44, forcing
the team to rely on outside shooting.
“The ref made a bad call, and he knows it.” Phillips
said. “It’s too bad because we could have won it, and I
would have loved to be in there the last few minutes.”
Heading into the final minute of overtime, the score was still
tied at 44-44, and the A.L.T.O.I.D.S. had possession of the ball.
Because IM rules preclude the use of a shot clock, the
A.L.T.O.I.D.S held the ball for the final shot. With time ticking
down, Lev was fouled and hit his two key shots.
Sigma Chi responded with a three point shot that bounced off the
rim, and A.L.T.O.I.D.S guard Asion Jackson frantically grabbed the
rebound with 8.6 seconds left. After being fouled, he hit one of
his two subsequent free throws, giving Sigma Chi one last chance to
tie the game. It was unsuccessful, sealing the win for
A.L.T.O.I.D.S.