MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- The Marine Corps Base Hawaii Postal basketball team clinched a close-call victory over Combat
Logistics Battalion 3 during an intramural league basketball game at Semper Fit Center gym, March 4.
Postal, which is now the No. 1 team to beat with a record of 10-1, is well on its way to the championship game at the end of this month.
The heated battle ensued with plenty of fouls and a healthy dose of competitive spirit. The physical challenge rose with the points on the scoreboard. Postal point guard Timothy Hobbs scored the first basket with a jump shot as his team cheered him on.
However, the fouls started early and lasted throughout the Monday night game. Postal stayed in the lead for most of the first half, due to missed offensive opportunities for the CLB-3 team. Postal proved to be an aggressive team, slapping away CLB-3’s attempts at scoring and intercepting their passes.
For a moment, CLB-3 tied the game at 9-9, but after another interception by Postal, which resulted in a foul shot and two successful baskets, Postal reclaimed the lead, 14-9.
Clay Patterson, shooting guard for the CLB-3 team, said he thought his team was the best in the league, but realized they have faults that need improvement after their passes were intercepted.
“We need to practice our coordination and I think we’ll be set,” Patterson said. “I know I personally need to work on dribbling and as a team, we need to improve our passing technique. I think poor passing hurt our chances.”
Through missed free throws, Postal dropped point opportunities, but maintained a close lead by capitalizing on CLB-3’s misplaced passes. Before the end of the first half, both teams called time outs and the score was 22-16.
When the game resumed, CLB-3 seemed refreshed with a better offensive strategy, tightening the score to 23-20.
Fouls and disagreements between the players and referees over what the players thought were poor calls filled the second half. During the discord, Postal rocketed its offensive performance and brought the score to 29-20.
However, CLB-3 didn’t give up the fight as both teams kept the scoreboard busy with jump shots and
3-pointers. As the teams dribbled up and down the court, the score quickly climbed to 41-34, with Postal still in the lead as the game neared the end.
The ever-solid defense of the Postal team and successful free throws contributed to the final score of 49-44. Hobbs said even though Postal won, his team needs more communication to improve their performance.
“For future games and the championship, interaction as a team is important,” Hobbs said. “I know I need to work on making wiser decisions offensively, like passing the ball. However, people talk about the Postal team and our performance, so it’s great to play. I felt outstanding playing. As a team, we don’t quit. We are all heart.”