FORT BENNING, Ga., (Feb. 18, 2015) -- Fort Benning's Child, Youth & School Services 11- to 13-year-old Team Lightning clobbered Team Warriors 31-9 during a basketball game Feb. 14 at Santiago Fitness Center.
The first period started off slow with Warrior Abiola Oladipo sinking the first basket - a free-throw - four minutes into the game, but Team Lightning ended the period leading 4-3.
Team Lightning head coach Christopher Degn said in the past the offense executed a free-play type offense, but this game they played a motion offense.
"Now we are running a set offense," he said. "So they had to get adjusted to that to make it work."
Degn said he was concerned with the Warriors and their rebounds because Team Lightning wasn't rebounding in the first period.
"But then there was a point where we hovered for a while then suddenly, we started scoring," he said.
In the second period, Team Warriors scored three points off of free-throw attempts, but still trailed.
Team Lightning's Tadashi Dennis, who had a game-high 15 points, and LaDarious Roper, who followed right behind him with 11 points, put up six points each in the first half, to give Team Lightning a 12-6 lead at the half.
"Tadashi is our spark plug," Degn said. "He has tremendous foot speed. He always plays on attack. He wants to score, score, score ... and today he did it."
He said LaDarious is the same way as Tadashi, but has some additional skills.
"I can actually play him as a big man," Degn said. "He is one of the better ball handlers. It's really nice in these low scoring games to have two players in double figures."
In the third period the Warriors opened and closed the period with baskets, while Team Lightning went on a 6-point run and extended their lead to 18-9.
Team Lightning dominated the final period with passes and steals, not allowing the Warriors to score and ended the game 31-9.
Degn said defense was key to winning the game.
"We were playing a 3-2 and trapping at the top of the key - basically a press and a trap," he said. "That was really helping out. I don't think they were prepared for that, so we were just picking off a lot of passes and taking them in.
"Everybody was really hustling on defense and the lead just kept widening. This was out best game yet - biggest win margin we've had."
Team Lightning 31, Team Warriors 9
Team Lightning (31)
Dennis (15), Roper (11), Cesar (3), Harder (2)
Team Warriors (9)
Marcum (3), Frazier (2), Cruz (2), Abiola Oladipo (1), Moffett (1)
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