ISO Yoga wins AEBL men’s championship

ISO Yoga wins AEBL men’s championship

By Robert Alfonso Jr. 

ATLANTA, Ga. – Joe Johnson earned a reputation as a player who can score regardless of the time on the clock.

The former NBA guard showed exactly why Sunday night. He nailed three free throws with a tenth of a second in regulation before leading the ISO Yoga team to a 98-86 win over Brighter Days to win the AEBL Mens’ Championship at Kipp Atlanta Collegiate on Sunday.

This is ISO Yoga’s inaugural season in the league’s history. The league is celebrating its 10th season.

Johnson, who earned the nickname ISO Joe, sent the game into overtime after being fouled with 0.6 seconds on the clock attempting a 3-pointer. He nailed all three free throws.

Once ISO Yoga went into the extra session the team went on a 12-0 run and proceeded to celebrate at half court on the final buzzer.

Leading the way for ISO Yoga was Brion Rush, who finished with 20 points and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. He shot the ball well the entire game, including a basket in overtime. This led four other players on the court in scoring. 

Johnson finished with 19 points, including 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Chuck Davis established himself in the paint early to chip in with 17 points and nine rebounds. Jeremy Pargo poured in 16 points. Kyle Sturdivant chipped in with 12 points.

ISO Yoga led for most of the game. They jumped out to a large lead in the first quarter and took a  52-37 halftime lead. This game looked like it was headed out of reach.

Brighter Days was not about to let this game get away from them too much.

The top-seeded team got a major spark from Lamar Peters. He went on one of the most impressive individual scoring performances for a quarter. Peters refused to be stopped scorching the nets for continuous baskets. Every time he touched the ball the fans were looking to see him torch another defender. Peters finished with a game-high 29 points on 13-of-22 shooting, including 3-for-9 from 3-point range. The only other player in double figures for Brighter Days was Paul Parks with 13 points.