Sportiva Italiana are champions of Liga Dos, and it took a shot with three seconds left to make it official. The Valparaiso club beat Huachipato 73-72 on Saturday in Talcahuano to close out the best-of-five final series 3-0, securing the title and an immediate return to Chile's top division, Liga Uno.
The finish lived up to the stakes. Playing in front of a gymnasium packed with home fans desperate to force a fourth game, Huachipato battled back from an early 10-3 deficit, took control in the second quarter, and led 62-55 heading into the fourth. Sportiva chipped away possession by possession down the stretch, grabbing a 71-70 lead with 40 seconds left before Ricardo Maass (2003) answered for Huachipato with a basket that put the home side back in front, 72-71, with just seven seconds remaining. Sportiva called timeout, drew up one final possession, and Devante Wallace (196-SG-1992, college: High Point, agency: BIG) delivered a two-point basket with three seconds on the clock that put Sportiva ahead for good, 73-72, and Huachipato had no answer before the final buzzer sounded.
The title capped a season in which Sportiva was the class of the league almost from the start. The Valparaiso side finished atop Zone A in the regular season with a 9-1 record, then needed a decisive third game to escape a tough opening playoff series against Luis Larrain before finding another gear entirely sweeping both Stadio Italiano and Sergio Ceppi 2-0 to become the first team to clinch a spot in the Liga Dos final. Sportiva carried that momentum into the championship series, routing Huachipato 107-73 and 94-82 in the first two games at home in Valparaiso's Fortin Prat before closing it out on the road in Game 3.