For a new team, not a bad start: Loss, then win

BERNALILLO – The Santa Ana Thunder lost their March 15 debut in The Basketball League, then rebounded –literally – the 16th to even their record at 1-1.

Shreveport 107, Thunder 100: A few hundred fans turned out to see the Thunder debut in Bernalillo High School’s fashionable gym, and the Thunder kept battling in the second half to keep the game close.

Down 52-44 at halftime, the Thunder caught the Mavericks at 63-all, only to fall behind by double digits, 92-82, with 6:04 left in regulation.

The Thunder got as close as six, 104-98, with less than a minute to play, but the Mavericks weren’t about to allow a miracle finish.

Edward Oliver-Hampton led the Thunder with 34 points, and Christopher Bradford joined him in double figures with 16.

Five Mavericks scored in double figures, but the real difference came in shooting from behind the arc: Shreveport shooters made 18 of 29 3-point attempts, while the Thunder managed only two 3s in 17 attempts.

That’s a difference of 48 points, and Santa Ana coach Cliff Levingston didn’t let that stat get past him in a post-game interview.

“Things I didn’t like: our shooting, from the 3; our basketball IQ, what makes us go. The thing I got out of it was a lot of things we didn’t do.

“What I liked was, we would get down big and we would come right back,” he said, expecting some in-game adjustments in the second game could turn things around.

“These guys have to understand the game, learn the game,” he said. “Hopefully, these guys learned something today and tomorrow, make adjustments.”

They did, apparently.

Thunder 115, Shreveport 113: The Thunder’s 3-point shooting didn’t improve much, although they doubled their “makes” (4 of 13), with the Mavericks going 14 of 33 from behind the arc.

Bakarie Evelyn followed up a defensive rebound with a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds to go Saturday, giving the Thunder a 115-112 lead.

The game had bene tied three times in the late going: at 95, 108 and 112.

Oliver-Hampton fouled Jeffrey Boyd with 1.5 seconds to go, but he made only one of three free throws and the Thunder escaped what could have been overtime.

Oliver-Hampton led the Thunder again, this time with 26 points. Ilisia Washington had 16, Evelyn added 13, Bradford came up with 12 and Bradlee Lewis had 11.

The Thunder have two road games this week: at Wichita Friday and at Enid, Okla., on Saturday.

The Thunder’s next homestand is April 4 and 6, at 7 each evening, vs. the Potawatomi Fire, the 2023 TBL champions.

Levingston and the Thunder will be hoping for more fans in the Bernalillo High gym.

“I thought our game (operations) went well,” Levingston said of the opening weekend.. “We have to win the fans over – they don’t know we’re here yet.

“I’m good with that; we just got to put a good product on the floor, do the right things.”

Levingston noted that the state high school tournament was still going on, and the University of New Mexico Lobos still have games to play.

“I’m good with that, because they’ll come,” he said.

For more on the Thunder, visit santaanathunder.com.