LRS takes title in double-overtime

  • Published
  • By Kevin Gaddie
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron won the base intramural basketball championship here Jan. 19, beating the 96th Medical Group 64-56 in a double-overtime thriller.

The two teams met in the championship last year, with MDG winning in two closely contested games, with only six players in their lineup. This time, MDG arrived with plenty - 13 players on their roster.

Tight defense from both squads made for many ball turnovers and a low-scoring first half. Fouls turned the game into a free throw shooting contest. LRS scored four of their first six points from the foul line. MDG managed to stay close, trailing by only five points by the half's midway point.

MDG's outside game finally emerged when Joseph Simmons knocked down a three-point shot at the 8:18 mark to narrow the score to 12-10.

After three foul shots from Wendell Thibeaux, who had 15 points, MDG gained their first lead of the game.

More defensive hammering and missed open looks from both teams, both under the rim and outside the paint, kept the score deadlocked at 15 apiece at halftime.

"It's been a little nerve-racking," said Andrew Salas, MDG team captain, of his crew's first-half play. "We weren't moving the ball and hitting the open guy effectively. We need better teamwork."

Anthoine Corpening, LRS' team captain, was happy with LRS' defensive containment, but knew his team needed to step up on offense.

"We're missing a lot of layups and easy, open jumpers," said Corpening, who led all scorers with 30. "We need to control the tempo in the second half. They're going to try to pick up a little bit, not let us use our size and strength, so if we can slow it down and continue to get good looks, we'll be in good shape."

Full court defense presses by both teams kept the second half as close as the first. Inspired running and gunning from MDG and a second shot conversion by LaRon Elliott at the foul line put his team ahead 27-26 with 12:56 left in the game.

From there, the lead swung back and forth as both teams narrowed their offense and defensive focuses.

LRS thought they had the edge with a 34-29 lead, but a three-point shot from Thibeaux, brought MDG to within two, 34-32, with nine minutes remaining.

During the next six minutes, LRS got hot with a scoring spree of 14 points to MDG's seven.

As a result, LRS led 48-39 at the 2:30 mark, their biggest lead in regulation.

MDG clawed their way back with seven unanswered points, narrowing the deficit to 48-46 with 37 seconds to go.

A foul shot by Corpening increased LRS' lead to three with just 5.6 seconds left.

MDG's Thibeaux in-bounded the ball to LaRon Elliott, who let fly a long three-pointer and missed. He got the ball back for one more try and made a buzzer-beating three-point shot to tie the game at 49-all and send it into overtime.

During the first overtime, the teams held each other to just five points each, sending the game into a second overtime at 54-all. After Thibeaux put MDG ahead early, 56-54, LRS broke the game wide open, outscoring their opponents 10-2 in the final two minutes and clinching the championship, 64-56.

"We kept fighting and never gave up," Corpening said after LRS hoisted the championship trophy. "We stuck to the game plan, went down low and negated their speed by using our strength. Our win was a collective effort. Everyone on the team did their part. We won this together."