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RAF MILDENHALL, England — The 2010 U.S. Air Forces in Europe Small Unit/Intramural Basketball Championships were hosted at the Hardstand Fitness Center here March 4 to 7 with the 86th Communications Squadron claiming the top slot in a 91-86 win against the 86th Services Squadron.
Of the 12 teams that gathered for the tournament from across Europe, the two teams in the championship bout coincidentally hail from the same parent unit, the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein.
Kicking off play was an easy grab of the jump ball by 86th CS center Bryan Green, giving first possession and layup to Devon Newbill. The 86th CS continued with a 3-pointer by Terense Johnson and a field goal from Jensen Turner. This 7-point lead set the tone for the course of play, making 86th SVS work to regain ground.
Anthony Hardaway contributed the first 2 points for the 86th SVS, who struggled to find a hole in 86th CS’ defense throughout the first 10 minutes of play. As the 86th SVS began to shorten the point gap, foul calls by the referees began to increase. A verbal spout between an official and Johnson led to a technical foul call against the 86th CS and allowed 86th SVS to tie the game at 25-25.
Frustrations began to rub off on 86th SVS player Aaron Stafford who continually barked for his players to communicate and get into position as 86th CS began once again to pull away and finish the half with a score of 41-35.
Second-half play was less eventful, with players on each side beginning to lose stamina. This is where the 86th CS’ three substitutes waiting on the bench came in handy. Because the 86th SVS’ roster only included the minimum of five players, a reprieve was nowhere to be seen for the steadfast athletes.
The score gap stayed consistent around 6 points while each team tried to find the other’s weak spot. Nobody let their guard down as the game entered the winding minutes.
Despite their best efforts, 86th SVS was unable to pass their competitors, and the 86th CS took the game with a 91-86 victory.
“Our team fought hard, and we proved ourselves,” said Kwame Baylor, 86th CS coach. “We lost to RAF Mildenhall Team 1 in an earlier round, but we fought our way back to the top. I’m real proud of our guys.”
Teamwork was evident for the 86th SVS, with points scored spread across the lineup. Daryl Johnson claimed 29 points to be the team lead scorer, but was followed closely by Damon Williams who had 23 points of his own. Hardaway also pulled in 19 points compared to Stafford’s 10. By far the team roughhouser was David Thai, who scored 5 team points and an equal number of fouls against other players.
The 86th CS had a more centralized score share across their team. Lead scorer Turner set the example with 27 game points, and Newbill held his own with 22 points. In the middle of the 86th CS scoring lineup were Johnson’s 15 points and 14 points by Jamal Jones. Newbill and Cerrone Glover shared the title of 86th CS aggressors with five fouls each. Turner also claimed the championship most valuable player award.
