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Hawks basketball team takes one, drops one to Whiteman

  • Published
  • By John Stuart
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  When the Tinker Hawks walked onto the Whiteman Air Force Base basketball court March 6, their trepidation was palpable. Tinker had made the trip to Missouri for the double header with only seven players. Compared to the 15 hoopsmen that lined Whiteman's bench, it was a veritable David versus Goliath predicament. It was get tough or lose for Tinker, and they all knew it.

"When we walked into the gym with only seven players we saw their eyes light up like 'we got these guys,'" Coach Clarence Griffin said.

But the Hawks had some tricks of their own in their goody bags. And they came to play ball, as they won Saturday's game and came just short in their double overtime loss on Sunday.

Hawks 93
Whiteman 84

With the numerical advantage, their game plan was simple: keep the tempo fast and substitute like mad. But it wasn't meant to be for Whiteman. Tinker had other plans as they claimed the 93-84 win.

Whiteman jumped out to an early lead in the first half on Saturday. But the Hawks further learned why they run so many sprints in practice, and they closed the deficit going into half time with their energetic execution on both sides of the ball.

With only seven Hawks on the roster and none of them post players, substitutions were few and the Hawks had to play in atypical positions. But none of that seemed to matter as Tinker built a lead in the second half and never gave it up.

Buoyed by stellar offensive performances of Phil Hawthorne and Jerail Smith, who scored points in the 30s and 20s, Tinker kept sinking baskets, to the chagrin of the Whiteman Goliaths.

"Their coach was pretty upset, he was not a happy camper," Griffin said.

Whiteman kept things interesting, as they pulled within three points late in the second half with three minutes remaining. But the Hawks stepped up their foul-point shots, closing the day out with a sterling free throw percentage of more than 75 percent.

Griffin praised the gusto of his players, especially given the numerical disadvantage.

"Whenever you go anyplace and are understaffed it's like you're going to war with a gun half loaded," Griffin said. "But we did battle on the boards with what we had."

Whiteman 95
Hawks 91

Sunday dawned brightly for the Hawks, with sanguine feelings spilling over from Saturday's win. But unfortunately the feeling didn't last. Two halves and two overtimes later, Whiteman claimed a narrow victory 95-91.

The Hawks came out in strong fashion in the first half of Sunday's game. Dominating on every facet, they built a 40-34 lead into halftime. But then things went awry.

"If we could've ended the game at half time that would've been great," Griffin said.

Poor decisions and ineffective shot selection plagued the Hawks in the second half. Their lead gradually faded in the final moments of regulation, when Whiteman tied it up and forced an overtime situation.

The Hawks had other problems too. With players Brandon Collier and Duron Arnold fouling out at the end of regulation, they were down to five players versus 15 going into overtime.

But Tinker still managed to build a small three-point lead, even after D'Armond Penman fouled out, leaving only four players on the court. Griffin lamented his short bench even more.

"We could've used any body who could stand up straight," Griffin said. "If I had put my name on the roster I would've gone out there."

But poor decisions and shot selection bit the Hawks again. Despite having several chances to win it, they struggled to contain Whiteman, who tied it up and forced a second overtime.

And then Whiteman went for the jugular. Building an early lead, they were up by five points most of the period and contained Tinker's faithful four to earn the win. The Davids had lost and it was game set end match Goliath.

"The effort was there, they didn't quit," Griffin said. "The opportunity was there to make a statement -- that while we were undermanned we were still able to be competitive."

But Tinker isn't through with Whiteman just yet. The Missouri players travel here this weekend for a double header and the Hawks are looking forward to a rematch with their full roster in tow. Tip off is at 3 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday at the Gerrity Fitness and Sports Center.