Sal Nodjomian is swarmed by Chiefs basketball players as he looks to score at the annual Eagles versus Chiefs basketball game Jan. 27. The Eagles won for the second straight year, 50-40. (U.S. Air Force photo/Kevin Gaddie)
Curtis Palmer, a member of the Chiefs’ basketball team, goes for a lay-up in the annual Eagles versus Chiefs basketball game Jan. 27. The Eagles won for the second straight year, 50-40. (U.S. Air Force photo/Kevin Gaddie)
1/30/2012 - EGLIN AIR FORCE, Fla. -- The Eagles flew past the Chiefs in their annual basketball game with a convincing 50-40 win Jan. 27.
Both teams moved the ball well up and down the court, but the Eagles' well-executed offense sets and collective foot speed allowed for enough successful shots to keep them out in front. Tony Douglas, Andrew Toth and Mike Contratto were welcome additions to the Eagles' running attack.
After the Chiefs scored the game's first two points, the Eagles took control and led the rest of the way.
Effective shooting from Donnie Morris and Curtis Palmer kept the Chiefs close, but they still trailed the Eagles 19-15 at the 4:15 mark.
By halftime, the Eagles widened their lead to 25-19. Douglas led the Eagles with 10 points. Sal Nodjomian had five points. Morris had nine points for the Chiefs, followed by Palmer with six.
Not happy with easy second shot opportunities made by the Eagles, Morris, the Chiefs' coach, wanted his team to concentrate more on rebounding.
"We're giving them too many chances under the rim," he said. "We've got a lot of new guys out here. We have to find our flow."
Nodjomian, the Eagles' coach, remembered his team's narrow 20-19 defeat of the Chiefs last year. Knowing what they were capable of, he wasn't about to take the six-point halftime lead for granted.
"Those guys can shoot!" Nodjomian said. "No lead is safe. The quality of play on both sides is much better than last year. We're built for speed, they're built for size. We're going to use our speed to tire them out."
The Eagles continued to outrun the Chiefs, serving notice five seconds into the second half with a steal and unopposed lay-up by Douglas.
The Chiefs managed to close the gap to 28-26 at the 15-minute mark, with more buckets from Morris and Palmer. The two-point deficit was as close as they came to catching the Eagles.
The Eagles gradually pulled away using speed, better conditioning and improved free throw shooting to outscore them 22-14 in the remaining 15 minutes and clinch the win, 50-40.
Douglas, who finished with 13 points, was the Eagles' most valuable player.
"We had a good defensive plan, and we put together a core of five offensive plays to execute against them," he said. "We saw past their size advantage, and used speed and hustle to beat them. It was a team effort."
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