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JBSA News
NEWS | March 1, 2012

FSS wins battle for top spot in intramural basketball

By Jose T. Garza III JBSA-Lackland Public Affairs

In a battle of the top two teams in Division I intramural basketball, the 802nd Force Support Squadron (10-1) repelled a late-game comeback, outlasting the 543rd Support Squadron (9-2) with a 52-48 victory Tuesday at Chaparral Fitness Center.

The win gives the 802nd FSS an automatic berth in the upcoming Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland playoffs.

Guard Christian Torres played a pivotal role in three key moments at the end of the game to help seal the win for FSS.

Torres, who finished with 11 points, knocked down a 3-pointer to put FSS up 49-47 with 21.5 seconds left following four missed free throws by FSS in the last two minutes. Seconds later, Torres delivered the final blow when he intercepted the inbounds pass from 543rd guard Ivan James. The steal set up his assist on a Maurice Jenkins-Day layup for the game's final margin.

"I was thinking, 'He better make that basket or I'm going to really be mad,'" Torres said about setting up the final two of Jenkins-Day's 13 points.

FSS led throughout the contest before 543rd guard Julian Jones' layup with two minutes to play gave his squad its first lead since being up 2-0. Down one, Jenkins-Day realized business just picked up.

"This just got real," he said about FSS allowing 543rd to overcome a nine-point deficit in the second half.

Not converting on outside jump shots and inside opportunities in the second half helped fuel the 543rd comeback before Torres and Jenkins-Day came to the rescue.

Torres said even though 543rd was able to briefly take the lead, FSS was not going to stop competing until the final buzzer sounded.

"We just kept fighting," he said. "They would have beaten us if we had given up, and we wanted that No. 1 seed in the division."

Jerome Leach, who led the FSS attack with 18 points, said his team played solid throughout the game and knew what to do when it came down to the wire.

"When you're down with a minute left, that's a lot of time if you know how to work the clock," said Leach, who had two alley-oop buckets in the first half. It was all Torres, Jenkins-Day and FSS needed to gain the upcoming tournament's only automatic berth.

The qualification tournament to determine berths in the base tournament begins Tuesday and concludes Thursday. The base championship tourney begins March 12.

"I don't know about my teammates right now, but I'm hot and ready for the playoffs to see how we do," Torres said.

"Everybody will be gunning for us, so we have to be ready," Jenkins-Day added.