Lackland Air Force Base, Texas –
A pronounced 92-70 win over Laughlin Feb. 17 opened the Lackland Warhawks Men's Varsity Basketball Team's bid to retain their Southwest Military Conference championship title.
Following the opening three-point shot by the Warhawks' Rodrick Greene, the teams answered one another basket for basket, leave a taunting 45-43 on the scoreboard as the players left the hardwood at halftime.
"The first half, we didn't play well at all. We had no defense, no rebounding," Warhawks head coach, Jerome Riley, said. "We showed terrible effort the first half, and I let the team know that at halftime."
Returning to the court holding a meager two-point lead against a team the Warhawks have defeated in their five previous encounters, the team took the floor with a single-minded goal: play strong and win.
By denying their competitors access to the basket, executing successful rebounds and frequently stealing the ball at half court, the Warhawks held Laughlin to a 27-point gain for the second half.
Through aggressive ball handling and agility, Greene, Terry Daniels and Kaleb Goss each sunk three two-pointers in the second half.
"I give them a 'B' for the second half," said Riley.
Altogether for the Warhawks, Greene scored 12 points; Lorenzo Smith, Daniels and Dedrick Mayer each put 11 points on the board; Aaron Winkler earn 10 points, including three three-pointers; Ryan Nichols was responsible for 9 points; Goss gave the team seven points; Patrick Stewart and Ezell Trammel racked up six points each; Eli Lozano gave the team 5 points; while Jay Moffet and Paul Parker were each responsible for two points.
Riley said his team would need to hit the court "more mentally into the game" tomorrow morning if they expected to advance in the conference.
The conference continues Feb. 18 at Brooks City-Base. The Warhawk will take the court at 8 a.m.