HHB, 14th FA wins overtime thriller, 55-53

FORT SILL, Okla.-- HHB, 1st Battalion 14th Field Artillery rode a quartet of scorers Jan. 24 to outlast HHB, 31st Air Defense Artillery, 55-53 in an intramural basketball overtime thriller.

Tyler Stacy, 12 points, and Tyler Gatlin, 11 points, each hit three 3-pointers including one each during the decisive extra period.

"Terry Sanders shot well for us, too, and the big guys down low kept us in the game," said Thomas Crocket, 1-14th FA coach. "I also credit the team for the job they did breaking the 31st ADA press."

Dustin Umberger scored at will from outside and with drives to the basket to lead the ADA team with 18 points. Anthony Thompson contributed 17, and Stanley Atkins chipped in eight points.

The 31st ADA opened the scoring on a rebound put back from Atkins and a deep 3-pointer by Umberger.

Though the 31st ADA had the taller rebounders, the 14th FA big men battled down low keeping an opportunity alive that set up Stacy for his first trey from the left corner.

On an ensuing trip down the floor, Thompson bulled his way inside but a referee whistled him for charging. That foul foreshadowed ADA troubles, specifically against the team's center, James Davis.

Despite this, the 31st ADA kept the lead early on at 13-10, and momentum seemed securely in their hands even though they fouled Stacy on a 3-point attempt. Thanks to an illegal substitution, the referees whistled a two-shot technical against the 14th FA.

"We called a technical foul because a 31st ADA player who entered the game was wearing a different number than what the scorebook said," said referee Ken Fairley. "That resulted in an administrative two-shot technical foul."

Thompson hit both technicals then watched as Stacy only hit one of his three free throws.

But Ben Logsdon bailed out his teammate as he made two smart plays.

First, he drove on Davis and drew a foul.

The next time down court, Logsdon ball faked Davis into the air drawing a second foul. Though he only hit two of the four free throws and the 13th ADA maintained a five-point lead, the fouls later proved key to the game's outcome.

Adding to Davis' dilemma, Sanders drove inside against Davis who was again whistled for a foul on the 14th FA guard. Davis then took a seat for a few minutes.

Seizing the opportunity, the 14th FA went on an 8-0 run for a 21-18 lead.

With 30 seconds left until halftime, Davis re-entered the game and held the ball outside the 3-point arc as the 31st ADA looked for the last shot of the half. However, the offense stalled with the lack of ball movement and 26 seconds faded from the clock. Davis then launched an improbable 3-pointer which swished through the net knotting the score, 21-21, at the break.

In the second half, sharpshooters kept the score tight. Stacy hit his second trey, and a couple minutes later Gatlin answered an Umberger 3-pointer to tie the score at 31-all.

Although the 14th FA kept the pressure on the 31st ADA and built a couple small leads, the air defenders countered keeping the score tied at 41-41 with 2:25 left in the game.

Sanders then drove strong on Davis who blocked a shot attempt. However, the referee whistled him for a blocking foul which ended the Davis' night with five fouls.

However, his 31st ADA teammates overcame the key loss. Aggressive play against the 14th FA resulted in trips to the foul line with less than 15 seconds. But, they only hit one of four free throws for a 47-45 lead.

With six seconds remaining, Logsdon saved the field artillerymen as he worked his way inside and tossed up a spinning shot. The ball rattled the rim then hung for a moment, still spinning, before settling into the net to force overtime.

In the extra period, Thompson and Umberger offset the 14th FA shooters as the 31st ADA took a 53-52 lead with 25 seconds left.

The 14th FA whittled away most of that time before Gatlin hit a rainbow 3-pointer for a 55-53 lead. The 31st ADA gamely called time out with one second left on the clock. To their credit, Thompson received a full-court pass and instantly tossed up a wild shot, but didn't hit the mark.

Frankie Paulino, 31st ADA coach, said his team put up a good fight though he had a short roster.

"Some players we don't count on normally really came through and gave us a chance," he said.

He then credited Umberger's shooting skills and hustle.

"Tonight he showed he could hit from outside, take it to the hole and make his foul shots," said Paulino. "It was a tough game to lose, but we'll learn from our mistakes and build from this."