KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- The 8th Security Forces Squadron’s “Defenders” swept through the 8th Fighter Wing Staff’s “Agency” 75-39 during an intramural basketball championship game here, Feb. 26.
Not only did the Defenders win the intramural basketball championship game, but they also won the intramural flag football championship game just three months ago. So far, the 8th SFS is the only squadron from the 2015 to 2016 class to win championship games in multiple sports.
“I’m proud of both teams,” said Chief Master Sgt. Rob Granum, 8th SFS superintendent. “They put it out there and gave 100% of their effort toward every practice session and every game.”
Coming into the championship with a 13-1 record, the Defenders came into the game expecting to win.
“I knew the folks we had on the team had the skillsets and talent to push through and win the championship,” said Master Sgt. Russell Raymundo, Defenders head coach and 8th SFS superintendent of logistics and resources. “They’ve been doing well the entire season. They couldn’t have been more prepared to face their opponents and come out with a victory.”
On the other end of the spectrum, the Agency came into the game with a chip on their shoulder.
“The WSA squad here has a lot of heart,” said Airman 1st Class Dillon Smith, Agency head coach and 8th Comptroller Squadron customer service technician. “Throughout the season, we’ve had the will to keep pounding, regardless of whether we’re losing or not.”
Pounding through the regular season and playoffs with five wins and six losses, the Agency started their first game with ten players.
“A lot of players who had key roles were lost due to four of them being injured and a fifth player having permanent change of station to another base,” Smith said. “After game one of the playoffs, we only had five people to play through the rest of the post season.”
Three of the five players the Agency lost included two of their big forwards and their starting center. Outsized and outnumbered, they had to tough it out and play four days in a row against the 8th Maintenance Squadron, the 8th Operations Group and the Defenders during the second week of the playoffs.
“We came into the championship game with a record of 3-1,” Smith said. “The 8th OG consisted of mostly taller players while the 8th MXS had a combination of speed and sharp shooters at the three-point line. The Defenders on the other hand, had a freakish mixture of everything in terms of size, skill and talent.”
Three of the Agency’s four games ended as close battles, where a win was obtained within five points. Their last game in the semifinals was against the 8th Operations Group, where they won by one possession.
“What has gotten us this far is heart and hustle,” Smith said. “We know that if some things aren’t going our way, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re going to give up.”
The fact that the Agency was still able to make it to the championship game in spite of injuries and a minimal number of players shows how they were able to remain resilient throughout the season.
“When other teams were too brittle to keep going, we stuck together and kept our heads above water,” Smith said.
In spite of the Agency’s heart and resilience, the Defenders’ defense was robust by blocking shots and constantly creating turnovers. This transitioned to multiple fast breaks and points on the board, jumping out to an 18 point lead by the end of the first half.
“Defense wins championships,” Raymundo said. “Our players know how to control the tempo of the game. We stuck to our strengths and put these guys away.”
Fatigue also played a major role in the game, as the Agency played through the entire game with the same five players.
“I really feel as though we gave it our all,” said Staff Sgt. Kendell Grant, Agency power forward and 8th CPTS unit deployment manager. “At the end of the day, we’ve been pulling together as a team all season, and that’s how we finished.”