Lackland runs past Altus, set to play Cannon for championship

  • Published
  • By John Ingle
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Tired legs and frustration led to Lackland Air Force Base's 71-57 win over the Altus Dream Team Jan. 20 in basketball action at the 2008 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tournament here.

Altus Coach Eric Madden said playing their sixth game in less than 24 hours finally took its toll.

"Absolutley," Madden said of the fatigue. "In the end, that's what pretty much killed us."

Lackland moves on to face Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Jan. 21 at 11 a.m. at the Pitsenbarger Fitness Center for the championship. Cannon gave Lackland their only loss of the tournament in the fourth round.

Altus claimed third place in the tournament.

Lackland's deeper bench proved to be the key to the game as Coach Jerome Riley was able to keep fresh legs on the court throughout the game. Paul Parker was the spark the Warhawks was looking for, scoring 20 of the team's final 31 points. All 20 of Parker's points came in the second half.

Altus stayed competitive for much of the game, working their way back from double-digit deficits. The Dream Team drew within seven points in the second half, but that would be as close as they would get.

But, Riley and assistant coach Randy Davis watched Altus play during an earlier game, and everything they saw told them the game would not be easy, despite the advantage of more players.

"When we sat here and watched them play, we didn't think this would be an easy win," Davis said. "The (71-57) score wasn't indicative of this game."

Lackland opened up a 25-18 lead midway into the first half, but Altus battled back to make the score 25-22 with less than 6:30 to play. But the Warhawks closed out the first half with a 15-6 run to give them a 40-28 edge at the break.

"(We lost) our focus on offense," Madden said. "We didn't stick with what got us where we are."

Davis contributed discipline and heart to Lackland's successful run in the MLK tournament.

"The guys have pride," he said. "They don't want to go away without giving their best effort."

A turning point for the already-depleted bench of Altus was at the 7:06 mark of the second half when Antonio Hunter was issued a double technical foul and ejected from the game. From that point on, the Warhawks outscored Altus 14-11 to seal the win.

Editor's note: Information about other games in the men's bracket will be added as it becomes available.