MDG doses out loss to FSS in intramural basketball

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chuck Walker
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Coming into the game Monday night, both the 436th Medical Group and the 436th Force Support Squadron were looking for their first win of the season after each suffered opening night losses.

Chalk up a win for the 436th MDG as they overcame a six-point second half deficit to hold on for a 42-41 victory against the 436th FSS Dec. 17, 2012, at the fitness center on Dover Air Force Base, Del.

Player-coach Terrance McCormack scored a team-high 15 points and Kevin Krantz tossed in 13 points as the 436th MDG moved to 1-1 on the season.

"We stayed together as a team and got better shots," Krantz said of the comeback down the stretch. "It was our first win of the year and it was a good win. Every win is a good win and it was something we needed."

A nip-and-tuck battle throughout, the 436th MDG clung to a 12-11 lead at halftime.
In the second half with the 436th MDG trailing 19-17, the 436th MDG went on an 8-0 to take a 25-19 lead.

Trailing 29-23, the 436th FSS went on a 10-0 run to take the lead at 33-29. With the 436th MDG leading 41-35 late, the 436th FSS mounted a furious comeback getting a three-point play from Antwan Piper and a three-point shot from Timothy Dance, but it was not enough as the 436th FSS ran out of time and the game.

McCormack said defense played a key role in his team being able to overcome the six-point deficit and then holding on for the victory.

"Our interior presence of Krantz and (Ray) Pitt began to be felt and we capitalized on some good rebounds," McCormack said. "We forced them into a few bad shots and our transition game took advantage. Basically, our defense was the key in us being able to come back."

For the 436th FSS it was the second loss of the season and it moves their record to 0-2. Player-coach Piper said the close loss is indicative of how well his team can play. Piper led the 436th FSS scoring a game-high 17 points, while Dance tossed in 13 points in the defeat.

Piper said he was pleased with the improvement he saw in his team.

"We seemed a little fatigued after we took the lead," Piper said. "We gave up a lot of easy baskets, we called a timeout and you could tell we were tired. But, we see a lot of improvement and I'm really happy with our team cohesion. Our overall team effort looked a lot better. Even though our record doesn't show it, I still feel we are the team to beat."
McCormack said his team would have to get back to the fundamentals to be able to improve as the season moves along.

"We need to focus simply on the basics," McCormack said. "We need to make better passes and do a better job of finding our interior players. We also need to learn how to take advantage of mismatches and our bench players need to play the same amount of defense as the starters when they come into the game."