After a decisive victory in Game 1 and a frustrating loss in Game 2, the AfterShocks had to dig deep to secure a 73-67 victory to clinch the series over The Enchantment, a team of New Mexico alumni, in the opening round of TBT.
The Enchantment jumped out to an early lead, as the AfterShocks coughed the ball up five times in the first five minutes, a continuation of ball-security issues that plagued them in Thursday night’s loss.
Marcus Keene got the AfterShocks started with a reverse layup, but it was Marcus Santos-Silva, TBT’s second-leading rebounder, who kept them within striking distance. He scored on a baby hook to bring Charles Koch Arena alive, then another to cut the deficit to four, 13-9, and another shortly after.
“It’s who I am, being aggressive when I got the ball down low… let me go, get my shots and it opened it up for everything else,” Santos-Silva said.
The Enchantment led 23-14 after one quarter, continuing to push their lead with five unanswered out of the break.
Morris Udeze threw down a dunk to try and swing momentum, but the AfterShocks still trailed, 30-18. Santos-Silva and Rashard Kelly added fast-break scores to cut into the margin, and Keene made a pair of free throws to make it a four-point game, 35-31.
The Enchantment’s Jayland Randall made a 3-pointer as time expired to give them a 38-31 lead heading into the half. The AfterShocks’ 10 halftime turnovers kept them behind in the first half just as it did in Game 2, but the second half was a different story.
“We was more aggressive on defense, imposing our will and making the game played the hard way,” Santos-Silva said.
Keene took over in the third quarter, scoring twelve points and ending the day with a team-high 23. He was adamant about defending home court to secure the series.
“I’m a gamer; I didn’t play well last game… I wasn’t gonna let someone beat us twice in a row in Wichita,” Keene said.
His back-to-back threes tied the game at 46, and a fading mid-range jumper gave the home team their first lead of the game, 48-46. His final two points of the third came from another fading mid-range to extend the AfterShock’s slim advantage heading into quarter four, 55-51.
The AfterShocks held on to their minuscule lead into the Elam Ending, up 64-62, setting the target score at 72. QJ Peterson opened the untimed period with an and-one to put the AfterShocks just five points from victory, then drilled a three to put them within two.
Thursday night’s hero for The Enchantment, Vance Jackson, answered with a three of his own, and a KJ Jenkins layup pulled them within five of victory. An AfterShocks 5-second violation gave The Enchantment light, but a long rebound from Santos-Silva and a pass to Peterson was all it took, as he cashed in the right-wing three for the win, 73-67.
Keene was quick to credit his backcourt partner.
“That’s why we signed QJ, he’s a big shot maker,” he said.
Following the series victory, the AfterShocks will be back in Koch Arena Monday, July 27 to take on JHX Hoops, the Kansas alumni, for an in-state showdown in a single-elimination game.
“I’m expecting a packed house,” Keene said.
Santos-Silva agreed.
“It’s gonna be fun. The crowd is going to be crazy for both teams.”
For Santos-Silva, the matchup carries extra motivation. The former Texas Tech Raider fell to Kansas in the Big 12 Championship in 2022, and Monday night gives him a chance to settle the score against some former Jayhawks.
With a home crowd behind them in a rivalry game Monday night, the AfterShocks will look to punch their ticket to the next round of TBT. The winner of Monday night’s game will play the winner of La Familia (Kentucky Alumni) and Boeheim’s Army (Syracuse Alumni) for the right to advance to the alumni bracket championship game.
