Hawks prevail in conference weekend

Published Feb. 25, 2016
By John Parker
Staff Writer

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The Hawks finished on top last weekend in four games against rivals in the Central U.S. Military Basketball Conference.

The Hawks varsity basketball team finished with the best record, 3-1, against the Fort McConnell, Kan., Tornadoes and Fort Riley, Kan., at the Gerrity Fitness Center.
"It was a good overall team effort," Tinker Hawks coach Jonathan Morgan said. "We had one letdown in a game earlier Sunday with Fort Riley. We came out kind of sluggish.

"But we were able to come out here in our second game and pick up our energy. That's what helped us. The energy levels were up and we were able to come out here and get a win."

The Hawks' Saturday and Sunday showings boost their conference record to 10-6. The CUSMBC began play in October and will continue regular season play through April.

Sunday's final game against the Tornadoes was a key one for the Hawks. Without the 80-65 victory, they would have tied for the weekend's best win-loss stat at 2-2.

The Hawks roared to a 15-7 lead in the first six minutes, led by a Zhamar McAdory one-man scoring wave. The guard posted the team's first eight points -- a layup and two 3-pointers.

McConnell responded with a scoring spree of its own that included two steals. They quickly dropped eight unanswered points in two minutes. At 15-15 midway through the first half, coach Morgan called for a time out and new tactics.

"Instead of setting up for a bunch of outside shots, we started looking to attack the basket more," he said. "We got a couple of passes that we were able to stick past their zone on their baseline to take advantage of some layups.

"The layups got us going," he added, "and the inside shots started falling, then the outside shots started to get easier to knock down. It made a big-time difference."
The change regained the lead for the Hawks. Guard Jarail Smith dropped a 3-pointer from the wing, followed by layups from point guard Corey Clark and guard Ryan Florie. The attack rebuilt a 23-18 lead at the nine minute mark.

The McConnell coach, with only six players on the roster, ordered a slowdown at that point, while the Hawks remained aggressive. Florie popped in a steal for two on the way to the Hawks' 39-26 halftime finish.

The Hawks zoomed to their highest lead of the game -- 49-28, a 21-point margin -- in the second half's first five minutes.

The Tornadoes, however, managed to drop some damage down on the deeper-benched Hawks. A string of hot baskets put them only seven points behind, 60-53, with seven minutes left.

The Hawks' inside assault, though, started paying off again, leading the squad to a 15-point victory.

Point guard Earl Moseby said he was pleased with the weekend's play.

"We need to toughen up a little bit at the end when we have close games," he said. "Overall, it was a pretty good outcome."

Smith, the game's top scorer with 23, is confident for the Hawks' conference championship prospects this spring.

"I think the toughest team to beat will be the Tinker Hawks," Smith said. "We make and break ourselves. Any time we lose is when we lose ourselves. Teams don't know how to play us."