MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Da FAM brought the heat when they defeated the Goon Squad 39-37 during an intramural basketball game at IronWorks Gym May 25.
Rajiv Douglas, guard for Da FAM, set the tempo when he seized an opportunity to score a fast-break layup during the first half.
A forward on the Da FAM team grabbed a rebound and pressed the ball up court.
Douglas received the ball and dashed across the court, leading a foot race to the basket for a quick two points.
Osmond Shortt, Da FA M point guard, attacked the Goon Squad’s defense by consistently driving the ball to the basket to draw fouls.
Shortt saw it as nothing more than an opportunity to put a few points on the scoreboard from the free throw line.
“I go to the hole to get contact,” said Shortt. “I thrive on contact because I want to go to the free-throw line and get as many easy points as I can so our team can win.”
Toward the end of the first half, Shortt and Douglas both stirred the crowd when Shortt provided an assist to Douglas who managed to score the first 3-pointer of the game.
“Shortt drove in and kicked the ball back out,” said Douglas.
“I was wide open for a three so I just took my time and followed through. It was an easy shot,” he added.
Da FAM seemed to have the game in the bag by the end of the first quarter as they racked up points that put them in a comfortable lead.
When the buzzer signaled the end of the first half, Da FAM were ahead of the Goon Squad 23-16.
The game took a turn during the second half when the Goon Squad returned to the game with a determination to earn redemption.
The Goon Squad began to increase the pressure, tighten their defense and take more shots.
It wasn’t long before the Goon Squad tied things up with the Da FAM.
“We got complacent,” said Douglas. “We thought we had the game at halftime, and we allowed them to come back.”
Da FAM began to pull through as they got back into the game, sped up their tempo and made sure to stay a step ahead of the Goon Squad throughout the rest of the game.
The game evolved into a wild closing as the clock wound down to the final buzzer.
The Goon Squad found itself in a desperate end-of-game situation with only 6 seconds left in the game.
The Goon Squad resorted to flagrantly fouling opposing players as they tried to drive the ball in for layupsS in an attempt to prolong the game.
“We kept making them,” said Douglas. “So fortunately for us, their tactics didn’t work.”
“I guess they got motivated and thought that they could win the game,” said Shortt. “We put a clamp on that.”
Short managed to score the last two points of the game to put Da FA M ahead with approximately 2 seconds left on the clock.
“I had a good drive,” said Shortt. “I wasn’t concerned about it being the last shot of the game. I was just concerned about being open, getting a drive and shooting it.”
After a brutal second half, Da FAM left the game victorious.
“What I like about this game so much is not only that it was close, but that we learned from this,” said Douglas.
“Now that we have played a team of this caliber, we’ll be ready to take on better teams and play with intensity the whole time through.”