July 22, 2008 — The Lakers, still smarting from a shellacking they got at the hands of Guidance a few nights ago, knocked the league-leading Chosen Ones from the ranks of the unbeaten Monday night with a gut-checked 105-102 victory in the Choices Basketball Association summer league.
The game, arguably the best of the season, pitted two of the league's heavyweights against each in the Central High School Gym, with both swinging haymakers until the Chosen Ones missed and the Lakers were able to deliver the knockout punch in overtime.
The Lakers got a huge lift from forward Charles Moorehead in the second half, when he exploded for 14 points. At one stage of the game Moorehead scored 10 straight of his team's points. But this was by no means a one-man show, as the Lakers needed a total team effort to knock off a tough Chosen Ones squad. They got just that as they had five players in double figures. The big difference in the game showed up in the defensive stats, where the Lakers' defense forced 23 Chosen Ones turnovers to just eight for the Lakers. About five of those Chosen Ones turnovers turned into easy baskets for Moorehead in the second half.
The teams played the first half rather evenly, exchanging the lead several times between them before the Chosen Ones were able to get and hold a three-point lead, heading into the locker room ahead 44-41.
The Chosen Ones outscored the Lakers 12-6 to open the second half, and had a 56-47 lead with 5:37 left in the period. The Lakers responded with an 18-10 run, which included eight straight points by Moorehead, to close out the third period down by one at 66-65. Moorehead's hot shooting continued in the fourth quarter as he scored the first two points to give his team its first lead since the second quarter at 67-66.
The teams would battle hard throughout the fourth quarter, with the lead changing hands numerous times. After such a tough battle for 39-plus minutes the score was fittingly tied at 88 with 15 seconds on the clock and Chosen Ones' ball. Point Guard Nybo "Tybo" Rogers brought the ball across the time line and set up for the game's final shot. With the clock down to five seconds, Rogers made his move to the basket, which was staunchly defended by the Lakers' big men. Unable to get to the basket, he had to pull up and tried a floater, which bounced off the front of the rim as time expired. It was on to overtime.
The Lakers opened the overtime on a 13-5 run, opening an eight-point lead at 101-93 with 2:30 left in the game. Their fans could smell the upset. It was an eight-point surge that, although the Chosen Ones tried their best, proved too much to overcome. The Chosen Ones got to as close as one point at 103-102 with 28 seconds left in the game, but Shane "Sugar" Hodge hit two clutch free throws to give the Lakers a three-point cushion. On the Chosen Ones' final possession, several attempted three-pointers to tie missed their mark and their unbeaten record was now history.
What a comeback by the young Lakers after a blowout loss in their previous game. They proved that even the good teams can have an off night, but how they responded to such a night could be the difference between real contenders and pretenders. Monday night showed that these Lakers are the real deal and true contenders for the CBA 2008 championship.
The Lakers had five players in double figures, led by a game-high 23 points by Jerome "Hives" Nathaniel. Carlos Solano dropped in 18, Hodge and Moorehead netted 17 apiece, and Glen Williams had 15. For the Chosen Ones, Joey Wallace dropped in 20 points and hauled down a game-high 15 rebounds. Andy Chelcher netted 20 points with 13 rebounds, Wilson Ferrance had 17 points, Rogers 15 and Calvin "Moose" Percival dropped in 14 points.
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