72nd SFS wins nail biter over 552nd TRS Published Jan. 22, 2009 By John E. Banks Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- Two of the up and coming basketball teams in the large squadron league squared off at the Gerrity Fitness and Sports Center on Jan. 12. These teams were sporting modest two-game winning streaks. The result was a hotly contested round ball game with the 72nd Security Force Squadron narrowly beating the 552nd Training Squadron 41-37. The game pace was fast and furious over the first three minutes of action. Nicholas Ketchum and Jon Niles, 72nd SFS guards, got their team off and running by hitting four consecutive field goals giving their side an early 8-4 lead. The 552nd TRS returned the favor while scoring seven consecutive points of their own making the score 11-8 at the 10:22 mark of the first half. The scoring was led by guard Sean Clark who had two field goals during the stretch. The remainder of the half was back and forth as both sides tried to will its way into the lead. Two foul shots at the buzzer by 72nd SFS point forward Derron Arnold gave his team a 23-20 at halftime. "Guys, I am going to carry this team on my back and get us a victory," said Arnold. Arnold who had suffered a serious facial injury the day prior in a Tinker Hawks varsity basketball game versus the Fort Sill Cannoneers was focused and ready to get his team the win. The start of the half saw Chris Youngblood and Clark trade field goals as the action intensified. The 72nd SFS surged ahead behind three field goals by Arnold and held a 35-30 lead heading into the final two minutes of the contest. The 552nd TRS tried one last attempt to gain the lead. Guard Andre Alford drained a 35 foot three-point field goal at the 1:12 mark cutting the lead to 35-33. The 72nd SFS was able to fend off their opponent the rest of the way enroute to a 41-37 win. "We played a hard fought game from start to finish and we just did not have enough shots to fall at the end for the win," said David Musgrave, 552nd TRS head coach. The leading scorers for the game were Arnold who poured in 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and 552nd TRS guard Juwann Wilcox who had a team-high 10 points and forward Brian Hoey who scored nine points and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds. The win by the 72nd SFS improved their record to 4-3, while the loss dropped the 552nd TRS to 2-3.