Basketball season ends bitter-sweet for Nighthawks

  • Published
  • By Jake Shaw
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOMESTEAD ARB, Fla. --  The 2006 intramural basketball season ended April 18 with a disappointing loss for the Homestead ARB Nighthawks, who were defeated in consecutive games by the Homestead ARB Services team.

The Nighthawks were favored to win because they had the best regular season record, and they beat the Services team three of out four games prior to the playoffs.

But the loss of a key player during the playoffs cost the Nighthawks dearly.

Virgil Scott, the big man who normally plays center for the Nighthawks, was out during the playoffs with a knee injury, but his team fared well until the final two games.

“We didn’t have a true center,” said Dexter Porrata, a forward for the Nighthawks. The lack of a center hurt our transition defense, he added.

During the game, the Nighthawks played as they normally do, attempting lots of 3-point shots, but missed most of them.

“We settled for the first shot too often without passing the ball around,” said Kelvin Holt of the Nighthawks.

The Services team also stuck to their game plan, playing inside, using their size advantage and passing the ball several times before taking a shot.

But opinions differ about the reason for the Nighthawks loss.

“Every person on our team can beat their team off the dribble,” said Darrel Rohlehr, a forward for the Services team.

Anthony Abate, the coach for the Services team added, “Our whole team wasn’t here for most of the games in the regular season, but everyone showed up for the playoffs.”

One player who showed up and played a key role in the back-to-back Services victories was Anthony Brown.

Brown, the Services center, finished the game with a team high 26 points, and many of those points were second chance shots or tip-ins that resulted from his relentless offensive rebounding effort.

“Tonight we stopped worrying about the referees and played defense. We played our game,” said Brown.

Regardless of the reason for their victory, the Services team came through when it mattered most, winning the championship game by a final score of 65-44. But that doesn’t mean the Nighthawks were sore losers. 

“I had fun this season, even though we didn’t win the championship,” said Anthony Rubio of the Nighthawks.

The two teams will likely face off again next season, and the Nighthawks will have a chance to redeem themselves, according to several players.