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The first-ever U.S. Forces in Europe Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships were hosted at the Southside Fitness Center March 24 to 28 with the men’s Spangdahlem Sabers and Ramstein Lady Rams claiming the top slots.
The tournament was made up of 20 teams, and more than 230 athletes stationed throughout Europe were on hand, all trying to become one of the first teams to win the U.S. Forces in Europe Championship.
The tournament tipped off with the arrival of Lt. Gen. Frank Gorenc, 3rd Air Force commander, and Brig. Gen. Mark Dillion, 86th Airlift Wing commander, followed by a parade and introduction of the competitors.
The men’s division consisted of 12 teams that played five preliminary games each before the championship round. The teams were the Aviano Dragons, Baumholder Bears, Grafenwöhr Grizzlies, Heidelberg Generals, Mannheim Mustangs, Lakenheath Eagles, Schweinfurt Magicians, Ramstein Rams, Stuttgart Stallions, Spangdahlem Sabers, Kaiserslautern Panthers and Mildenhall Marauders.
Though all 12 teams in the men’s division wanted the crown for themselves, two teams separated by less than 150 kilometers earned the opportunity to go head-to-head and determine who should be called the champion.
The Spangdahlem Sabers and Kaiserslautern Panthers played 40 hard-fought minutes before the Sabers clinched the men’s division championship title over the Panthers, 61-50.
The Panthers jumped out to an early lead and managed to hold on for the first half with a score of 25-24 after the first 20 minutes.
Though the Sabers were trailing up until that point, they were able to tie the score 36-36 with 14:41 to go in the second half. The Panthers pulled away after a nine-point scoring run, but the Sabers came back with their own 13-1 scoring run with 10 minutes to play, allowing them to take the lead by one and hold on to win the game.
The Panthers’ Ayo Lawson led all scorers with 18 points, while Lavar Tucker added 11 and Kenneth Stewart contributed 10 for Kaiserslautern.
The Sabers’ Michael Johnson, men’s division most valuable player, netted 14 points and got help from Anthony Snow and Phillip Rush who added 10 and nine points respectively in the championship game.
“To win the first U.S. Forces Men’s Championship was wonderful,” said Johnson, starting point guard for the Sabers. “We put in a lot of work before this tournament — a lot of practicing, a lot of arguing, a lot of running — but it all came together at the right time, and now we are the champions.”
The road to gold was also a tough one for the women’s division, as eight women’s teams played seven preliminary games apiece before the championship round. The teams were the Naples Lady Hawks, Lakenheath Eagles, Mannheim Lady Mustangs, Schweinfurt Magicians, Stuttgart Lady Stallions, Ramstein Lady Rams, Heidelberg Lady Generals and Aviano Dragons. The two teams left standing for the title game made another local match up — the Ramstein Lady Rams versus the Heidelberg Lady Generals.
The contest started with a fast pace and set the tone for the game with high scoring and high intensity that had the Lady Rams in front 33-25 at the half. The Lady Rams never looked back. But the Lady Generals would not go quietly. At the eight minute mark, the Lady Generals fought back to pull within three points, but the Lady Rams held on to solidify their spot at the top with a 63-54 win.
The Ram’s Cynthia Jackson poured in 13 of her 24 points in the second half, while Salonika Quewon-Owens, women’s division MVP, scored 15 points and Jacalyn Carr added nine.
Amelia Tillman and Takisha Watkins assisted the Lady Generals with 10 points apiece while Neirasha Tucker was their leading scorer with 12.
The tournament showcased tremendous athletic ability, but only two were recognized as the most valuable players. For Johnson and Quewon-Owens, achieving that status was not a priority heading into the tournament.
“First and foremost, I go out there to win,” said Johnson, the Sabers’ point guard. “Receiving awards is not why I play basketball; it’s for my team. I love teaching the younger guys what I know — the same way my mentors and friends taught me.”
Though it’s no coincidence the two most valuable players were on the championship squads, both understood there is no “I” in “team.”
“My whole team should have received the MVP award,” said Quewon-Owens, Lady Rams point guard. “We worked extremely hard in order to take home the gold in this tournament.”
Even though each team’s goal was to go home with a trophy, the tournament brought more to the participants and the KMC than just another basketball game.
“Today’s demanding military environment continues to present significant challenges to our men and women in uniform and their families,” said Brian Borda, U.S. Air Forces in Europe chief of services. “However, it is vital that from time to time we take the opportunity to step away from the job and have some fun. It’s an
opportunity to bring our service-members together for some friendly competition.”
