Basketball season begins

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Anre Borges-Brown
  • 341st Force Support Squadron
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  The Malmstrom Intramural Basketball League season officially tipped off Nov. 10, headlined by three exciting games pitting Air Force Global Strike Command hoopsters stationed here against each other. Family, friends and basketball enthusiasts came out to the fitness center gym to show their support.

In the first game of the triple-header, the 40th Helicopter Squadron faced the 490th Missile Squadron in a close battle that resulted with the Farsider's first win, 50 to 39. The win was largely attributed to the team's star player, 1st Lt. Matt McCraw, former Air Force Academy Falcon. He scored 23 of the team's 50 points and shot an astounding 82 percent from the field. Lieutenant McCraw also had three assists and five rebounds in the game. The 40th HS spread the ball well with four men who scored seven or more points, but it was not enough as they took the season's first loss.

The second game featured the 741st Missile Security Forces Squadron and the Tactical Response Force Team 2. The game was slow due to a large amount of fouls, but Big Missiles capitalized on second-shot opportunities and out-rebounding their opponents for a win over TRF-2, 39 to 32. TRF-2's star player, Airman 1st Class Kelly Grogan, led the game with 14 points. Big Missile's Airman 1st Class Cameron Bennett and Airman Adam Emrick combined their talents to score 20 of their team's total points. Airman Emrick's seven rebounds were instrumental in defeating the opposition.

The final game included the current flag football champions, the 341st Security Forces Squadron, and the Red Dawgs of the 12th Missile Squadron. The base-side cops entered the season with an aura of confidence surrounding them as they defeated the Red Dawgs, 50 to 39. The Red Dawg's Airman 1st Class Jeremy Dawson shined in the second half with seven rebounds and 12 points, but Airman 1st Class Nicolas Capriato from the 341st SFS made pass after pass to set his team up with countless opportunities to score. Airman Capriato also scored 10 points of his own. It will be interesting to see if the cop's can keep up their high level of intensity as the season wears on.

Overall, the basketball season is off to an exciting start. There are still three teams that have yet to play, including the 341st Force Support Squadron 2009 defending champions.

The league's statistics will be posted in the fitness center's lobby and updated daily. The complete season and game statistics will also be available at the front desk upon request and games are scheduled for Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.