Sheppard advances in MLK tournament, beats Tinker 86-73

  • Published
  • By John Ingle
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The Sheppard Senators took advantage of the Tinker Hawks' small roster and tired legs as they cruised an 86-73 win in their first contest Jan. 19 of the 2008 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. basketball tournament here.

Tinker defeated the Buckley Panthers 81-62 in their opening round game early that morning. Coach Clarence Griffin said it was his job to compensate for the team already playing one game.

"Anytime you're behind, you have to expend a lot of energy to catch up," Griffin said. "We hit that plateau."

The Hawks seemed to be the team with momentum early in the game, building a 24-18 lead, led by Phil Hawthorne's 14 points. Hawthorne had 33 points in the team's game against Buckley.

Hawthorne finished with a game-high 21 points, followed by the Hawks' Gerard West's 20 and Stanley Christopher's 14.

But Sheppard's Joshua Payne provided a spark off the bench, starting a 15-0 run that put the Senators up by nine points before the Hawks could stop the bleeding.

"The only team that can beat Sheppard is Sheppard," Coach Tyrone Jordan said. "We can't concentrate on what other teams do or don't do."

Stephen Berry led Sheppard with 19 points, followed by Mike Brown's 12 and Payne's 10.

Jordan said the play that proved to be the turning point was a when Berry missed a wide-open lay up on a fast break, but drilled a 3-pointer when teammate passed the ball to him on the perimeter. That's when the Senators poured it on, holding a 15-point lead with about 2:30 left in the game.

Sheppard has a good mixture of veterans and youth, Jordan said. But, the mid-season tournament could lead to bigger things for the Senator.

"This is a good launch to finish the year," he said.

Tinker could have the opportunity to meet the Senators again in the double-elimination tournament. But, they'll have to work their way through the consolation bracket.

The road to the rematch starts with Fort Sill, Okla., Tinkers third opponent in one day. Griffin said they've played Fort Sill before, so they won't be facing an unfamiliar adversary.

"They know what we have, and we know what they have," he said. "It comes down to execution."

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