MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. --
There was nothing but pure confidence coming from the Marine Corps Systems Command Team as they faced the Manpower Management Support Branch team during an Intramural American League basketball game at the Barber Physical Activity Center on Feb. 3, 2014.
MMSB looked to take their opponents down a peg during the game. Unfortunately for them, however, MCSC was the only team still undefeated in the league and was not willing to receive a blemish on their spotless record. It started as a hard fought game, but in the end, MCSC came out on top 61 – 36.
MCSC placed major defensive pressure on MMSB to start the game. It seemed as if MCSC wouldn’t even let their opponents past half court before they stole the ball and charged their basket.
MMSB didn’t let that discourage them though. They soon began to find their groove and gave MCSC a taste of their own medicine as they nearly shut them down on offense, making rebounding and easy layups they made earlier in the game that much more difficult.
Looking at the score board, MMSB seemed to be slowly inching their way closer and closer to tie the game. This was not the look of an undefeated team and MCSC knew that they were going to have to tighten up to retain a comfortable lead.
Toward the end of the half, something finally clicked within MCSC and they became a well-oiled machine. From steals and rebounds to no-look passes and fast breaks, MCSC was doing it all. Before MMSB knew it, MCSC had gone on a 12-2 run. It didn’t help MMSB that fatigue was hitting them hard. And with only one substitute player, it was only a matter of time before the 20-minute half felt like an hour of continuous play.
At the half, MSCS extended their lead and was winning 29 – 13.
“We have nothing to fear right now,” said Joe Randall, player for MCSC. “They only have one threat on their team. If we can shut him down, everything should go well from there.”
The threat on the MMSB was Pablo Irizarry-Cortez. He was quick and able to make many of his jump shots. But early in the second half, he really made his presence known. Within the first three minutes of the half Cortez made four three-point shots and closed the huge point gap between the two teams. MCSC’s coach, Mike Spencer, had no choice but to call a time-out to figure things out.
MCSC is known around the league for always having fun out on the court. When many teams would let frustrations ruin their plays and cloud their judgment, MCSC always found a way to laugh off errors and let their team spirit and friendships hold strong. This was missing in the first half, the team was serious and really wanted to shut their opponents down.
After their time out, they seemed to be the team everyone was use to. They were laughing, joking, brushed off their mistakes and took risks. This all paid off in dividends toward the end of the game. MMSB just couldn’t keep up with their opponents and in the end, they were destroyed by MCSC 61 -36.
“We never worry about who we play,” Spencer said at the end of the game. “I expected my team to play hard like they do in every game and that is exactly what they did. We could have scored more but I’m still very proud of the team.”
On the other end of the court, MMSB players kept their heads high and tried to figure out what exactly went wrong this time around.
“I expected a close game,” Cortez said. “We had a chance to comeback a few times during the game, but I didn’t expect an ending like this. We are going to need to practice more as a team. As soon as we develop some chemistry on the court, we should do a lot better.”