Sheppard sweeps Fort Sill in weekend basketball duel

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  • By 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The Sheppard Senators toppled the Fort Sill, Okla., Cannoneers Feb. 2-3 in Southwest Military Basketball League in a two-game matchup.

It was their first back-to-back wins of the season.

"It really feels good to finally get the Sunday win; it has been something that has haunted us all season," said Head Coach Tyrone Jordan. "We would handily defeat teams on Saturday and then lose to the same team on Sunday. It was great to see the team remain focused for the entire weekend."

Jordan said the Senators had their struggles during both wins though, especially without their leading scorer.

"It's hard to beat any team two games in a row" he said

With starting forward Michael Brown out, the Senators looked to others for scoring and leadership from another source. But, Jordan said with the system the team runs and other personnel on the team, they would be able to make up for the loss of Brown's 18 points and 11 rebounds per game average.

"It's a big void to fill, but the team was up for it" said Rodney Martin, who scored a season-high 24 points Saturday and 11 on Sunday.

The Senators started the game out on a fast pace, hitting on eight of its first 11 field goal attempts, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range and 4-of-6 from the free throw line.

"I knew we would start the game off fast" Jordan said. "We are used to the defensive system and style of Fort Sill, so getting off shots would be rather easy."

The Senators held a substantial lead for most of the first half, but failed to convert easy opportunities late, allowing Fort Sill to cut the lead to 50-26 at halftime. The second half was nip and tuck with both teams trading baskets for the remainder game.

The Senators finally took control of the game with 9:53 left when guard Stephen Berry knocked down a 3-pointer, giving Sheppard a 25-point lead. Although the Cannoneers scored on four of it next seven possessions, it wasn't enough as Sheppard went on to win, 89-73.

Berry led the team in the first game with 28 points, followed by Martin's 24 and Johnny Cohnes 15. The

In Sunday's action, Sheppard looked as though the "Sunday Jinx" would befall them once more. They started a woeful 2-15 from the field, failing to connect on their first nine shots and falling behind by as much as 14 points in the first 11 minutes of play. Although Sunday's game started slow for Sheppard, they finally awoke and mounted a charge cutting into the Cannoneer lead and taking a 37-36 halftime lead.

Forward Stephen McCurdy said the Senators made a few adjustments utilizing their inside presence to mount an offensive surge.

"The inside is our bread and butter, when the game is on the line that's where our offense needs to flow" he said. McCurdy contributed 10 points off the bench.

Jordan said the second game was a must-win and meant there weren't many substitutions.

"I'm glad we have a mature team that understands that," he said, adding the team's unselfish play led to its 82-73 win.

Cohnes led the Senators in scoring in the second game with 19 points, followed by Berry with 18.

The Senators are now 6-4 in league play and 15-10 overall.

"We lost some close games this year that we shouldn't have, but we learned from those loses" Jordan said Jordan, adding the team's four league losses were by a combined 12 points. "We need to do a better job on the free throw line and convert one or two more offensive possessions to secure the victory.

Next up for the Senators are the Hawks from Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. The teams have played twice this season in tournament games with Sheppard winning both times. Due to league scheduling, this will be the only regular-season matchup between Sheppard and Tinker.

"We know what their capable of so it's easy to prepare ourselves" Jordan said, "but we can't look back on previous victories and lose focus on the game at hand."