Medics claim intramural basketball championship

Published May 13, 2008
By Senior Airman Carlos Rodriguez
Keesler Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISS. -- The perfect record for the season was gone, but in its place came something better: the base intramural championship.

The 81st Medical Group intramural basketball team outscored a determined 81st Communications Squadron, 48-44, to secure the 2008 intramural basketball title at Blake Fitness Center May 8.

The rivalry between the two teams continued throughout the season and into the playoffs. The 81st CS's only losses this season came at the hands of the medics. The medics' only loss this season came at the hands of 81st CS.

Going into the championship game, 81st CS had to win to set up a second deciding game, and win they did. Handing the medics their first loss of the season when the stakes couldn't be any higher, the 81st CS triumphed 57-49 to force a second game.

"We gave up a lot of open shots and a lot of open three-point shots," said Jonathan Settles, player/interim coach for the medics.

Most of those three pointers came from Quincy Harris, who finished the game as the 81st CS's leading scorer with 21 points. "We had a common goal -- we wanted it," said Stacey Norman, 81st CS coach. "We played together as a cohesive unit." Going into the second game, the medics knew they had to come up with a plan to prevent the 81st CS from steamrolling its way to the title.

"Defensively we had to get tighter," said Settles. "We started to switch it up on them, going from zone to man-to-man and back to zone again."

Another tactic Settles employed during the second game was to render one of the 81st CS's high-scoring players ineffective.

"We got Taveres Simpson, one of their best players, into foul trouble," said Settles. "He had to sit out most of the second half." With one of its best players on the bench for half the game, the writing was on the wall for 81st CS.

"We got into foul trouble with Simpson," said Norman. "That crushed us."

The tactics proved to be decisive as the 81st MDG came back from the first-game loss to take the second game, and with it the championship, 48-44.

"These guys are big-time ballers," said Settles. "They've been playing on this team for a while and this is their first championship. (The 81st MDG) finally got over the final hurdle."

It was a bitter end for the 81st CS, who could only rue how close they came. The team is already looking to the future, though.

"We'll see them in the summer league," said Norman. "They have a debt to pay to us