The AfterShocks’ bench caught fire in an 85-68 win against Challenge ALS in round two of The Basketball Tournament (TBT).
They outscored Challenge ALS’ bench by 50 points (59-9) on Sunday night to pave the way for the 17-point margin of victory.
“We knew that was going to be the strength coming in,” head coach Zach Bush said about the team’s nonstarters. “That’s what we talked about as our biggest asset is we can go at teams in waves. We have a legitimate 10 guys who can affect the game.”
Guard Nike Sibande led the charge off the bench for Wichita State’s alumni team. He dropped a game-high 25 points in 26 minutes of play and made it look easy, shooting 7-of-9 from the floor and draining 5-of-6 of his 3-point attempts.
He even ate a foul on a shot from well beyond the arc, swished it, then converted the free throw to give the AfterShocks a 20-point advantage in the fourth quarter. The four-point sequence received the loudest cheers of the night.
This isn’t anything new for the Indianapolis, Indiana, native, however.
Last year in TBT for Zoo Crew, Sibande averaged 17.3 points on 50% field goal shooting and 44.4% 3-point shooting. During his collegiate career, he averaged over 12 points a game with 41.7% and 34.3% marks from the floor and deep, respectively.
“I try to play efficiently — period,” he said. “Every time I step on the court, I’m not really thinking of nothing but just trying to make the right play and be effective.”
Another key contributor off the bench was forward Leyton Hammonds, who scored 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor and 4-of-7 shooting from deep in 22 minutes of playing time.
After giving up 20 offensive rebounds on Friday against No Excuses, Bush emphasized not getting “punked on the glass” against the size that Challenge ALS brought. It showed, as the AfterShocks outrebounded Challenge ALS 44-to-27 overall and 15-to-4 on the offensive end.
Bush thought the team’s early aggressiveness on the glass ultimately gave them the advantage.
“It just felt like we were the aggressor and kind of set a tone,” Bush said. “And I think that helps as a group; it puts you in a mindset of just kind of an aggressive mode. I thought that carried over defensively. We were incredibly locked in, I thought they were on a string defensively.”
Even though non-Wichita State alumni led the way for the AfterShocks in their win, unlike in past TBT runs when former Shockers made up most of the team, Bush said that they’re part of the brotherhood no matter what.
“Doesn’t matter if they played here in college or not,” Bush said. “We’re not out here looking at, ‘Okay, do we need to get one more Shocker on the floor?’ We’re about winning; this group wants to win. You can feel the brotherhood, too. This group likes each other, they like to hang out. And so it just makes it easy when guys enjoy playing together and are willing to sacrifice for one another.”
“It’s been great being out here,” Sibande added about his stay in Wichita. “It’s been nothing but love. I’m looking forward to keeping it going.”
Game recap
Like in round one against No Excuses, it took the AfterShocks most of the first quarter to settle into the game and find their momentum. But with an emphatic crowd behind them, a triage of triples and an old-fashioned three-point play from Hammonds, the AfterShocks created a 26-18 lead going into the second.
The eight-point lead turned to a 20-point cushion during the second quarter as the AfterShocks ripped off a 12-0 a little over three minutes in, 38-18. Challenge ALS never could cut into their deficit the rest of the period, and the AfterShocks took a 46-29 lead into halftime.
“You felt a little energy coming from the arena that feeds these guys,” Bush said of the AfterShocks’ 12-0 run. “(It) gave us a little bit more separation. And then everything feels good when you’re making shots.”
The AfterShocks held Challenge ALS at bay for most of the third quarter, with Sibande scoring seven straight during the period. With 56 seconds remaining, it looked like forward Trey Wade made a clean block, but the referees called a foul on Hammonds that sent the home crowd into roars of booing.
At the end of the third, however, the AfterShocks kept their lead above double-digits, 67-55.
The AfterShocks held Challenge ALS scoreless in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, and during that time, Sibande wowed the crowd with his four-point play, 75-55.
Headed into the Elam Ending, the AfterShocks led 77-63, with the target score of 85 set for both teams. It took the AfterShocks just three shots and a free throw in the Elam Ending to put away the game.
The team shot 25-of-61 (41%), including a 13-of-37 (35.1%) mark from deep.
Up next
The AfterShocks move on to play Forever Coogs, a Houston alumni team, on Tuesday, July 22, in the Wichita Regional final.
After a few smaller-than-usual crowds at Charles Koch for TBT this year, Bush challenged those in the Wichita area to attend the game.
“What more could you want?” he asked. “This is a high-level opponent, alums coming off of a national championship game, and (they) very well could have won it. This should be a big time atmosphere.”
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. in the Roundhouse.
