MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- The Ready Group lived up to their name as they defeated the the Diablos 35-27 during an intramural basketball game at the IronWorks Gym here June 2.
The Ready Group has played well during the intramural basketball season overall, taking home a few wins and sometimes leaving with room to improve their game.
This time, the Ready Group looked forward to adding another win to their name.
They spent a few moments before the game pumping each other up and motivating each other to get themselves focused on winning.
The Diablos stepped forward with an ambitious six-man team.
The Diablos put up a good fight as each player pushed to endure the full length of the game without any change-over.
In the end, the Diablos were too short in number and proved no match for their opponents.
In spite of the turnout, the Diablos were out to compete and have fun.
The referee blew the whistle to signal the start of the game, and without hesitation opposing players from each team jumped into the air to gain possession of the ball.
In the beginning it looked as if the Diablos were giving the Ready Group a run for their money as the players set up plays and passed the ball to score a few baskets.
The Diablos players took a few drives to the basket for some easy lay-ups and passed the ball out a few times to allow a player to score a 2-pointer from inside the arc.
This put the Diablos up by six points during the first 10 minutes of the game.
As the Ready Group began to realize their position, they sped up their momentum.
Shot after shot, the Ready Group racked up points to even out the score and eventually get ahead.
William Chatman, power forward for the Ready Group, kept strategy in mind.
“When I see an opportunity, I’m going to take it,” said Chatman. “If the other team backs off, I’m going to take the shot. If I don’t have an open shot, I’m going to kick it back out to my open teammate.”
After being fouled a few times while driving the ball down the center, Derrius Beverly, power forward for the Ready Group, managed to score a few freethrows to put points on the board for his team.
“When you try to make plays, they are going to try to foul you,” said Beverly. “I was expecting to get fouled to get a chance to put some points on the board.”
The buzzer signaled the end of the first half with the Ready Group on top 16-14.
The Ready Group started the second half strong.
The game continued with a lot of back and forth running up and down the court, leaving the players exhausted.
The Diablos managed to put a few more points on the board, but the endurance of the players seemed to be wearing out.
Chatman provided strong defense down low on the court, which made it hard for the Diablos to cut through.
“My goal in the game is not to score a million points,” said Chatman. “My goal is to stop my opponent from scoring points.”
The buzzer signaled the end of the game and the Ready Group took home a victory with a final score 35-27.
The Ready Group looked back on the game as a learning experience overall.
“There are definitely things we need to work on,” said Chatman. “We just need to get together, start taking wins and run with it.”
“We have been up and down,” said Beverly. “We need to keep building our foundation and make sure it’s strong.”
The post-season playoffs are slated to begin June 16.
For more information about upcoming intramural sports events and games call the intramural sports center at 253-3067.