Airmen compete in basketball championship game

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Collin Schmidt
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Airmen from the 741st Missile Security Forces Squadron and 341st Force Support Squadron went head to head last week in the 2013 intramural basketball season championship game, hosted by the fitness center. Sixteen teams started the season off, with only eight making it to the playoffs and one taking home the championship trophy.

"This has been a really great year," said Staff Sgt. Josue Silva, 341st FSS sports director. "The players who turned out for this season had a lot of talent and were very competitive. It was fun keeping score for the games and watching the players show their skills on the court."

During the season, teams who tied on wins and losses were divided based on the combined number of points scored in their games. The team with the most points moved ahead to the playoffs or moved up in the rankings if both were still eligible for the playoff bracket.

The number one seed, which is the team ranked the best, went to the 741st MSFS squadron, who went undefeated during the regular season.

"The competition was tough this year," Silva said. "Everyone brought their best and left
everything on the court when they played. The turnout for the basketball season, as well as other sports, has been steadily climbing. I'm very happy with the turnout.

"[Large turnouts] make it challenging for me as a sports director because funds are tight for the sports programs on Malmstrom," he added. "I could not have done it without the help of some great people who took time out of their personal schedules to help officiate the games while I kept score. A lot goes into making these [games] happen and the more people we have makes everything go a lot smoother."

According to the players, these sporting events have been some of the biggest morale boosters on Malmstrom.

"I love basketball," said Airman 1st Class Sean Jeffcoat, 341st FSS fitness specialist and FSS team member. "I wasn't able to participate for the entire season because of a deployment, but when I got back, I jumped into a game within two days of being home.

"Even though we didn't win, participating in the championship was a lot of fun," he said. "The team we played did very well the entire season and I'm friends with some of the players, so I'm alright with them taking the win. It makes everyone want to play that much harder."

The season, which started in November of last year, finished Feb. 3 with the 741st MSFS taking home the win in the championship game.

The fitness center also provides organized softball, volleyball and football sporting events for Airmen. Military family members are also encouraged to participate in a sport of their choice and people with a background or knowledge in refereeing are greatly needed, according to Silva.

For more information on sporting events, contact the Fitness Center at 731-3621 or visit the FSS website at 341FSS.com.