MDG opens intramural basketball season with a crushing victory over the 9 AS

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William Johnson
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The 436th Medical Group outpaced the 9th Airlift Squadron in its devastating season-opening victory in intramural basketball Jan. 13, 2014, at the fitness center on Dover Air Force Base, Del.

With two minutes left in the game, the referees were forced to end the game due to the mercy rule as the 436th MDG defeated the 9th AS 52-27.

The 436th MDG were faster in all aspects of the game and the 9th AS struggled to keep up. Turnovers and rebounding also proved troubling for the 9th AS.

DeMarcus Rush, 436th MDG coach, said his team being in great shape and his defense forcing multiple turnovers were keys to the victory.

"We knew the other team had bigger guys than us so we had to be faster and just play better ball than them," said Rush. "We stayed calm and collected as a team and ultimately came out with the win."

Speed was undoubtedly a factor the 436th MDG used to their advantage as they opened the game with a 9-2 run which were all scored by Antwan Piper and Lavondre Chamberlin, 436th MDG guards. The duo combined to score 14 points as the 436th MDG built a 32-16 lead at halftime.

"This was our first game together as a new team and we played fast and distributed the ball well," said Piper. "The more we practice and play together, the better and faster we will become, which may be a problem for our future opponents."

Speed wasn't the only thing that was crippling the 9th AS, the offensive turnovers and rebounding plagued the team all game and gave many scoring opportunities to the 436th MDG. The 9th AS regularly failed to rebound and keep the 436th MDG offense from scoring off of their turnovers.

Robert Rogers, 9th AS head coach, said his team was simply outplayed and they have their work cut out for them to turn things around.

"We were outplayed in every category and the 436th MDG was in a lot better shape than us," said Rogers. "We are going to get in more practice and shooting time for our guys and work on turnovers and rebounds in preparation for our next game."

For the 436th MDG, it was an impressive opening game victory that sent a message to the rest of the intramural league.

"This game was a huge morale booster for the Med Group," said Rush. "This game set the tempo for the rest of the season. We are going to feed off of this to get us into the championship game."