71st STUS defends hoops title, tops OSS 66-62

  • Published
  • By David Poe
  • David Poe
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."

Although Mark Twain penned it, one squadron's basketball team owned it during the 2015 Vance intramural basketball tournament, March 19.

The 71st Operations Support Squadron (8-4) cannonballed into the post-season pool and almost took it all, losing to the 71st Student Squadron (11-1) in overtime, 66-62.

The OSS' Travis Swanson had a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Ray Greene went 8-11 from 3-point range (26 points, seven rebounds, three assists) in the loss.

The 71st STUS rode big man Tim Martinelli across the finish line as he scored a tidy 28 points (8-13 FG) with a game-high 16 rebounds.

Before the game, Greene said his smaller team needed to slow down the STUS, who had already knocked off their arch rival, the 3rd Flying Training Squadron, in an earlier semifinal.

"The main thing with these guys is to be physical against them because they have a lot of big guys - we need to keep them out of the paint," he said. "On offense, we need to control the ball and keep it a nice, low-scoring game. We need to move the ball a lot and make [the STUS] make mistakes."

The game had an ominous start when the OSS received a pre-game technical foul after one of their players hung onto a rim during warmups.

Martinelli made two free throws to start the game, which ignited an 8-0 run.

Gritty interior play by Swanson brought the OSS back at 10-10 and the two teams sparred for the rest of a half that included five lead changes.

The STUS' Martinelli set the tone for the night with nine points and five rebounds, while the OSS' Braden Nyman scored six points in limited minutes for the half.

The OSS made their shots count as they converted 10-21 field goals, yet it was the STUS that went into the locker rooms leading 29-27.

During the intermission, while the audience may have been surprised that the lowest-seeded team in the tournament was giving the defending champions a run for their money, the champions were not surprised.

"The OSS has always been a young, fast, energetic team," said the STUS' Jerrel Scriven. "They're going to keep with it."

The STUS started the second half with the same, physical full-court press that had gotten them through the season. The OSS, who might have been overmatched in the athleticism department, brought a fearless, hawkish style to the table that was every bit as impressive as their fleet-footed foes.

When the STUS pulled out to a 38-30 lead, the resilient OSS slipped and slid their way back with timely rebounding and pressure baskets from Greene, Swanson and Desmond Rollins (six second-half points.)

It took the OSS more than 13 second-half minutes to catch the STUS as a Rollins jumper tied the game at 44. Then Martinelli went into overdrive and scored eight during 12-5 STUS run that took the game to 56-49 with 1:19 remaining.

The OSS could only think three-pointer at this point, and Greene was there as he fought through double coverage and hit a long one with :50 remaining, pulling the team within four at 56-52.

Kyle Green (10 points) then missed a crucial free throw, but Swanson was there for a timely OSS rebound. He hit two free throws at the other end of the court to pull the OSS within two at 56-54.

The STUS' Brandon Peters was fouled and missed a key free throw that kept the OSS within one-possession at 57-54, and it was the undefeatable Ray Greene once again who hit his seventh three-pointer with 14.4 seconds remaining to tie the game, 57-57.

The defending champions had one last shot to put the game away, but a missed three-pointer from Green sent the game into a three-minute overtime.

Green soon had his redemption as he hit three big free throws, while the OSS couldn't get the important shots to fall.

While Swanson netted an important drive to the basket midway through the quick OT, drawing a foul, he didn't make the free throw. That and a flagrant foul called against him for a charge sealed the fate of an unassuming squad that had taken the STUS to the brink, falling 66-62

After the game, Martinelli said he was glad he got to run with his 71st STUS teammates during the post-season tournament and all season long as they defended their Vance intramural basketball title. While they'll once again have a trophy to admire at squadron headquarters, they may also enjoy something more important than any plaque.

"It was a lot of fun this year," he said. "I made some good friends, and we've learned to start trusting each other. When the game is on the line, I wouldn't hesitate to give any of these guys the ball."