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Tinker Hawks take two from Ft. Leonard Wood

  • Published
  • By John Stuart
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Tinker Hawks 82, Fort Leonard Wood 65

It was the first basketball the Tinker Hawks had played since the holiday break and the Airmen were noticeably rusty.

With a slow start and several turnovers Jan. 9, the Hawks found themselves down 41-35 at the half against a tall and capable Fort Leonard Wood squad -- one of the teams to beat in the conference.

It was Tinker's game to earn back and they didn't want to let a home-court win slip away. So, with half-time adjustments and tighter execution, the Hawks came out in the second half with renewed focus.

"Our defense stepped up and we got a lead," Tinker coach Clarence Griffin said. "We tightened the screws down and pulled away the last few minutes of the game. We had really good rebounding. It was a team effort and everyone was contributing to what was going on out there."

And with only several minutes to play, it was Phil Hawthorne's three treys that broke his opponent's back, helping to ensure the 82-65 win. Jarail Smith netted 16 points and was backed by 15 points from Kirk Sheppard.

Griffin was pleased with his players' performance against a formidable conference team.

"Fort Leonard Wood has a very good team, they're a worthy opponent," Griffin said. "They have good size and good guard play, but not a lot of depth. They had good support on the board and their inside play is solid."

Solid. But not solid enough, evidently.

Tinker Hawks 77, Fort Leonard Wood 69

If Fort Leonard Wood was in the game for a while on Saturday, Tinker never gave them a chance on Sunday. And it was full speed ahead for the Hawks, garnering utmost praise from Griffin for their performance.

"The first half was probably the best half we've played," Griffin said. "In the first half we came into our own and played very solid defense and offense was clicking. Execution was very good."

The Hawks' execution notched the score at 44-30 after the first, setting up a comfortable lead going into the second half.

But that last half wasn't so easy, and Fort Leonard Wood gained some ground.

"There were some miscues and a loss of focus," Griffin said. "We got a little complacent and had to get back in the mix again. They became more offensive and capitalized on any weaknesses we gave them. They became more aggressive offensively."

But in the end it was Tinker's offensive prowess and inside play that won the day, securing the 77-69 win for the Hawks.

"They had some issues as far as how to handle (Jarail) Smith," Griffin said. "He's very forceful and also they never really came up with an answer to (Phil) Hawthorne.

"Our rebounding was something they had to contend with. On the inside play they said what we brought to the table they really had to work against."

Kirk Sheppard and Hawthorne led the team in scoring with 18 points apiece, and Duron Arnold racked up another 14 points to put Tinker at 8-4 overall in conference play.

Next up, the Hawks are taking to the road. They head to Sheppard Air Force Base Jan. 16-17 to play in the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tournament.