EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The Armament Directorate overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to trounce the 33rd Maintenance Squadron 67-53 Feb. 16 in intramural basketball league play here.
The EB team held second place in the standings as of Feb. 10 with a 5-1 record. Maintenance entered the night’s matchup in eighth place, at 3-2.
Though both teams played lean, with seven-man rosters each, they displayed cohesiveness, sharp ball handling and effective game strategies from the outset.
The EB squad was smaller in height, but they brought battle–tested experience and a winner’s swagger to the court, which showed later in the game.
Maintenance controlled the opening tip. Sean Duval, the coach, struck first with a two-pointer in the first 15 seconds. At 18:40, Derek Leuzinger tipped in a missed shot from Marcos Cruz for a 4-0 lead. The six-foot-three Leuzinger used his height advantage to rebound for lay-ups.
EB’s David Adler established his shooting prowess when he fired off his first three-point shot from the left court to narrow the lead to 4-3.
The bucket set off a barrage of three-point attempts at both ends, with each team executing crisp passing from set offenses to create shot opportunities outside the key.
Around seven minutes into the first half, the 33rd team began a defensive swarm on EB, while continuing to sink baskets at their own end. The EB, in attempts to fight through the Maintainers’ presses, got into foul trouble, which gave the 33rd chances to widen their lead at the free throw line.
By 11:06, the Maintainers nosed out in front with a 15–9 advantage.
Maintenance’s Aaron McKenzie showed great end-to-end ball handling hustle and by halftime, he and Duval lead their team with 10 and nine points, respectively.
Adler showcased deadly accurate free throw shooting and fearless rebounding for EB throughout the game. He and Brian Dailey, who camped out under the rim for much of the game, helped their squad close before the halftime buzzer, but the period ended with Maintenance holding a 30-22 lead.
Duval liked his team’s position going into the second half.
“We’re moving the ball and finding some open looks,” he said. “Our defense was a little shaky at times. We’ve got to keep it tight in the zone and guard our perimeter. We need to eliminate some fouls and keep finding the open man on offense in the second half.”
Patrick Smidebush, EB’s coach, wasn’t shaken by the eight-point gap. He was confident in his team’s ability to fight through the adversity.
“We’re playing good on offense, just not knocking down enough shots,” he said. “We’re giving up too many lay-ups on defense. We’re going keep doing what we’re doing and work on making more shots.”
Their plan worked to perfection.
EB returned to the court steadied and focused. Stephan Atrice started his team’s patient comeback at 19:11 with a two-pointer to make the score 31-24.
Adler’s relentless offensive inside-the-paint attacks and precision free throw strokes, coupled with Brian Dailey’s rebounding and second shot conversions, inspired EB’s charge. They caught Maintenance at 12:42 to tie the score at 35-all.
In the next five minutes, the lead changed five times. The Directorate mounted their own defensive strategy, which negated the 33rd MXS’ first-half offensive charge.
A highlight in EB’s surge was when Bryan Wilson saved a teammate’s pass that was heading out of bounds at the 7:49 mark. Wilson grabbed the pass and fed the ball to Adler under the rim. Adler’s one-handed two-point scoop shot gave EB a crucial 46-43 lead.
At Maintenance’s end, Leuzinger’s two successful foul shots brought his team to within one point of catching EB at the 6:28 mark, 46-45. It was as close as the 33rd MXS came to taking the lead back.
EB went on an 11-8 run in the final six minutes to clinch the win, 67-53. EB advanced to a 6-1 record, while Maintenance dropped to 3-3.
Adler led all scorers with 34 points, scoring 24 in the second half.
“We went from zone to man-to-man coverage, which helped make the difference,” Smidebush said. “We shut them down on defense, got some easy lay-ups and made more shots.”
Smidebush was proud of his team’s improved play this year.
“This was our last game of the season,” he said. “We’re typically a .500 team, so we’re pretty happy with our success this year.”
The intramural basketball playoffs begin Feb. 28.