Alaska National Guard wins tournament for second year

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jack Sanders
  • JBER PAO
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The basketball sat on the rim for what seemed like an eternity, the crowd roaring with excitement, before the orange globe slipped off into the hands of an Alaska National Guard player who ran the length of the court for the last shot of the game.

With 1.7 seconds left on the clock, John Gory, made the final basket to win the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson basketball tournament 38 - 36.

The tournament was the result of the two individual tournaments on both Elmendorf and Richardson sides of the installation, with the best teams facing off in a double-elimination tournament for the joint tournament trophy.

This year the final teams were the Alaska National Guard and A Company 725th Brigade Support Battalion.

The tug-of-war game started off strong for the 725th. The team took an early lead of four points and held onto it throughout most of the first half of the game.

National Guard main ball-handler Donnie Millas led the game with the most steals.

The National Guard team played a strong pass offense, keeping the handling out to the three-point line for most of the game with the occasional well-placed pick.

The 725th team worked well to dominate the paint under the basket and retrieve the most rebounds with their tallest player, Patrick Henderson, making more than half of the team's score. Henderson emphasized his height by dunking a basket in the second half.

Both teams enforced their right to claim the title, fighting point-for-point the entire game with steals, player picks and quick passing plays being traded between teams the whole game.

The turning point of the game for the 725th was loss of their main distance ball handler, Mike Ochea. Ochea took a hard fall after having his feet knocked out from under him on a lay-up.

The 725th team compensated for their lost player well, but the game came down to two missed foul shots in the last few seconds of the game and what seemed like an ill-fated final shot that hung onto the rim, ringing several times before falling out right into the hands of Millas.

The victory marks the second year in a row the National Guard has won.

"I the game was extremely exciting and both teams played really well and were well prepared," said William Bailey, 673d Force Support Squadron.

"The officiating was fair and accurate and it was a great showing for intramural sports and the joint effort between the Elmendorf and Richardson Fitness Centers."