Photo By Mary M. Rall | Col. David Mineau, the 354th Fighter Wing and Eielson Air Force Base commander,...... read more read more
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By Mary M. Rall
U.S. Army Alaska Public Affairs
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska -- The Air Force proved to be as formidable on the court as they are in the sky by winning the second annual Army vs. Air Force Basketball Game 70-66 July 21 at the Fort Wainwright Physical Fitness Center.
Teams of voluntary Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base service members had prepared for the game since March, said Army coach Spc. Omar Melbourne of 25th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
The Air Force’s training served the team well on the court, as they pushed ahead of the Army early in the first half, maintaining a hard-fought and often narrow lead over the Army throughout the bulk of the game.
Although the Army did pull ahead for a fleeting 18-16 lead in the last 10 minutes of the first half and tied the game 31-31 in the first 90 seconds of the second half, the Soldiers were unable to wrestle the overall game away from the Air Force, which consistently owned the scoreboard.
Play remained tenacious throughout the game, however, with both teams battling it out into the final moments on the court, using all of their timeouts and with aggressive play leading to multiple fouls and free throws.
According to Melbourne, the score was always close enough to allow either team to pull out the win, but the Air Force’s ability to consistently make three-point shots was what contributed most to their success on the court.
“They had gotten a lot of loose balls, and they kicked them out to perimeter shooters,” Melbourne said. “They had really good perimeter shooters.”
Air Force coach and family member Joshua Hancock said the team worked a lot on getting the ball to perimeter shooters and penetrating by dibbling or passing the ball past the Army’s defenses and toward the basket.
“Our main focus was to play unselfishly,” Hancock said. “We stressed playing defense and rebounding. For the most part, I think that’s what helped us gain the lead early in the game and hold on to it.”
He said the Army did a lot of things right on the court as well—especially toward the end of the game when the Soldiers attacked the flagging Air Force players, who began to make what Hancock said were avoidable mistakes.
The contributions of Pfc. Timmy Wright of 25th BSB, 1-25th SBCT, were significant toward helping the Army remain competitive on the court and to forcing the Air Force to battle to maintain the lead, Melbourne said.
“He was very aggressive in his scoring ability,” Melbourne said. “He was unmatched out there.”
The only player to outshoot Wright’s 17 points for the game was Master Sgt. Jarrod Butler with the 354th Fighter Wing Command Post, who contributed 18 points to the scoreboard for the Air Force.
Wright said he feels he still could have performed better, though, despite how much he contributed to the Army’s overall score.
“I could have given a bit more effort on my defensive game and rebounding,” Wright said.
According to Melbourne, a little more hard work and consistency will go a long way toward developing the Army team for the 2018 Army vs. Air Force Basketball Game.
This year’s victory on the court by the Air Force has given each branch a win for the annual competition, with the Army taking home the trophy for the 2016 Army vs. Air Force Basketball Game with a 58-47 win.
“They played a great game, but we’ll get them next year,” Melbourne said.
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2017 15:06 |
| Story ID: | 242377 |
| Location: | FORT WAINWRIGHT, AK, US |
| Web Views: | 195 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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