MCB HAWAII -- Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 24 Warriors beat Patrol Squadron 9 Golden Eagles, 48 - 53, during the championship intramural basketball game at the Semper Fit Center Gymnasium April 26.
This is the fifth consecutive championship win for the Warriors.
“It’s my first win playing with the Warriors, and it feels amazing,” said Warriors forward Tyrone Franklin. “This team is great, and hopefully we can take the championship again next year.”
At the tip off, the Warriors grabbed the initial possession and immediately Franklin hit two 3-pointers. It looked as if it was going to be a one-sided game as the Warriors made impressive plays. After five minutes, the score was 12-5, Warriors.
The game turned around as Golden Eagles center Eric Hamilton and small forward Doug Scott made consecutive 3-point shots to close the gap.
Just as it seemed the Golden Eagles would catch up, the Warriors fired back with their own series of 3-point shots bringing the score to 14-22, Warriors, with seven minutes remaining in the first half.
Time ticked away from the clock as repeated fouls and free throws from both teams dominated the rest of the first half.
Their lead diminishing, the Warriors called a timeout, with one minute remaining in the first half. The Golden Eagles regained possession of the ball, but quickly lost it as the teams battled it out to score the final shot of the half.
Once regaining possession, the Golden Eagles called a timeout with 2.6 seconds on the clock. Unfortunately, both teams were unable to score as the halftime buzzer rang leaving the score at 22 - 27, Warriors.
“We are doing great and giving 100 percent,” said Golden Eagles captain Eric Hamilton. “I think we’ve got them beat. We just need to work on our rebounds.”
The Golden Eagles started the second half with fierce jump shots. For the first time, they led the game as they powered to a score of 28-27, within the first minute. The only thing challenging their layups was 3-point shots from the Warriors.
With nine minutes on the clock the score was tied at 38 - 38. Persistence kept the Golden Eagles neck and neck with the Warriors, as both teams fought tenaciously to win the championship trophy.
The Warriors broke ahead leaving the score 44 -48 in the final minute. Desperately, the Golden Eagles tried to catch up, but their haste caused six fouls on their opponent as the seconds wound down.
The game ended with Warriors players shooting free throws and Golden Eagles fans watching in disbelief.
“We stopped having execution on shots. Everything [the Warriors] threw up was hidden from us. I guess they wanted it more than we did,” Hamilton said.