IWAKUNI, Japan - G-SUPP once again emerged victorious against their archrivals the ROC BOYZ 49-37 during the intramural basketball season playoff finals at the IronWorks Gym sports courts here Monday.
The ROC BOYZ took it to its undersized opponents during the first game of their best of three series.
Using size to their advantage, the ROC BOYZ players were able to pull away late in the first half, forcing their opponents to attempt to catch up.
Dewayne C. Bigge, ROC BOYZ center, and Terry A. Bonds, ROC BOYZ shooting guard, made a home beneath the basket all night as they forced G-SUPP back into the paint and used their height to secure rebounds. The ROC BOYZ led the first half 28-18.
The second half was a mad dash for G-SUPP to place points on the
board as it went to its reliable 3-point shooter, Steve A. Navar, G-SUPP shooting guard, to try and shorten the gap. Learning from their previous tangle with G-SUPP, the ROC BOYZ players did not allow Navar to settle into his natural groove of three-point placement.
“We didn’t come out to play the first game,” said Navar. “We thought we were just going to come out and just beat them easy but they showed up to play.”
The first game ended with the ROC BOYZ winning 51-42.
G-SUPP proved they were determined the second game by putting on an offensive clinic.
They played as a different team in the second game. The team that
played the first game was gone, replaced by a team that now went
after the basketball with tenacity.
From the tipoff, G-SUPP took an early lead scoring nearly twenty unanswered points before ROC BOYZ managed to respond. The ROC BOYZ continued its strategy to focus on Navar, which opened the way for G-SUPP’s surprise breakaway star.
Drevonn M. Fluellen, G-SUPP shooting guard, was a man possessed, making breakaway after breakaway down the court. As the ROC BOYZ changed its game plan to contain Fluellen, it opened the way for DeMarcus J. Charleston, G-SUPP power forward, and Rabosky Tanner,
G-SUPP power forward, to inflate the lead 58-21 in the middle of the second half and force the mercy rule.
“We didn’t play like we needed to in the second game,” said Paul A. Torres, ROC BOYZ shooting guard. “We started out with a bang and we should have finished with a bang as well.”
The final game between the two powerhouses was a much closer affair than the previous game.
G-SUPP started the game much like the previous one, scoring nearly 20 unanswered points. The ROC BOYZ players were still not prepared time for the onslaught as they attempted to fire back. The first half closed with a score of 30-15, G-SUPP.
Frustration was on some of the ROC BOYZ players’ faces as they sought to find a way to contain their opponent. It seemed whatever the ROC BOYZ did to slow down G-SUPP, G-SUPP managed to score.
The ROC BOYZ players managed to keep the game respectable as they found their comfort zone in the second half. G-SUPP managed to stay ahead of the ROC BOYZ as fouls became an issue during the second half.
In an attempt to stop the clock and create a new game plan, the
ROC BOYZ fouled late in the second half.
“My hat’s off to them [G-SUPP.]” said Rajiv Douglas, ROC BOYZ shooting guard. “They came to play.”
As time wound down, G-SUPP kept the ball away from the ROC BOYZ and won 49-37.