Tacoma Tide fans were treated to their money’s worth in one of the most exciting games the International Basketball League will see this year. The Tacoma Tide returned home after a long and arduous road trip to Edmonton, Canada in search of some better shooting and a victory on their home floor. To say that Tacoma’s shooting was improved from the road trip would be an understatement of mammoth heights. The Tide shot 66% from behind the three point arc in the first half. Combined with the Bellingham Slam’s long ball percentage of 21% and lack of rhythm, the Tide found themselves in a dominate position through the 1st two quarters. That is when things became interesting.
The Tide lead by as many as 28 points in the first half, but in the IBL, no lead is safe. Thursday night’s display was a case study in how easily a lead can be overcome by a strong team in this league. The Bellingham Slam were the IBL Champions in 2008. In that playoff run, they were lead by IBL MVP, Ryan Diggs. The Slam point guard only had 5 points for his team at halftime against the Tide. After the halftime break, Diggs and his teammates looked like an entirely different team. As a result, the game was stood on its head. The Slam got out into transition and stomped on the Tide by a 3rd quarter score of 40-18. After 3 periods, not only had the Tide’s comfortable lead vanished, they were actually trailing 96-91!
If there has been a "gut-check time" this season for the Tide, it was the 4th quarter on Thursday night. The Tide had a decision: 1- Wilt away and wonder what happened to the hot shooting strokes they had in the first half or 2- Pick up the defense, battle on the boards, and represent Tacoma with pride. It was certainly not easy, but they executed the second option with excellence.
The 4th quarter could be described as a boxing match. The two Washington state teams did not exchange jabs back and forth, instead, they threw uppercuts and hooks. These blows equated to runs responded with opponent runs. As the leads and margins flipped back and forth, the top performers rose to higher and higher heights. It was clear that neither team was going to give the game away. A fascinating matchup between the two team’s dynamic point guards, Antwan Williams and Ryan Diggs yielded 29 points and 31 points respectively. Supporting roles were filled by Lorenzo Rollins for the Tide, and Lukas Henne for the Slam. The Tide guard notched 33 points with 12 rebounds and 7 assists. Henne was a constant for the Slam from start to finish and his double-double exhibited that (32pts/10rebs).
With two minutes remaining the regulation, the Tide had worked hard to build a ten point lead, the largest advantage for either team in the 4th quarter. It seemed like they could put the game on ice, but Bellingham would not give in. The Slam ran off 9 points in the blink of an eye and things became increasingly tense. With a one point lead, the Tide’s veteran guard, Marlon Bailey, stepped to the free throw line. After he missed both shots, the Slam brought the ball to their end with a chance to win. After the Tide deflected a pass out of bounds, the Slam were left with ten seconds on the clock, and down 125-124. The inbounds pass was to Diggs. The electric guard pump faked and took a dribble. With help defense coming, Diggs was forced to pull up for the shot. Right at the top of his jump, his release was matched by the Tide defense to block the shot. However, the defense had also caused contact to his head and Tacoma was whistled for a foul. With 7.6 seconds remaining, Diggs could tie with one free throw, and he could complete an amazing comeback with two makes.
With the home crowd rapid in their noise making, Diggs made the first and missed the second attempt. The second free throw bounded off the back iron and back toward the free throw line. It was tipped back to Diggs who leapt but was forced to pass the ball to his teammate. Stevenson caught the pass and in desperation shot for the victory. Like his teammate moments before, he was blocked. Also like his Slam teammate, he was fouled. However, this time the foul came an instant after the final buzzer roared to end regulation. 125-125... Overtime.
The overtime period was like the 4th quarter; every possession was hotly contested. The Tide established the paint on offense and defense to gain a ten point advantage. It appeared that Bellingham was finally exhausted after their incredible comeback, and the Tide legs prevailed. Antwan Williams and Quentin Nolen made clutch free throws and the Tide came away with a massive victory heading into the IBL playoffs, 145-138.
If you want to this this Instant Classic for your own eyes, YOU CAN. Just turn your Comcast TV to Channel 1, then select Get Local, then Local Sports, and Tacoma Tide. The game will be available for viewing as soon as 24 hours after the game. The Tide's next home game is Saturday night against the Central Oregon Hotshots. Arrive early and enjoy the YMCA Auction Fundraiser at the stadium
