Air Commandos match Mobile Patriots in thriller, 52-52

Published Oct. 13, 2011
By Senior Airman Joe McFadden
1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- They may have entered the court as rivals, but as the dust settled and the smell of burnt rubber lingered, the two teams left as equals, underscoring the cause that brought them together.

The Air Commandos faced off against the Mobile Patriots, a Gulf Coast division three National Wheelchair Basketball Association team, at the sixth annual Wheelchair Basketball Exhibition Game Oct. 7 at the Aderholt Fitness Center.

After five straight losses on their own court, Hurlburt Airmen tried to break their streak with a 52-52 tie during the annual event, held to highlight National Disability Employment Awareness month.

"We honor the contributions of workers with disabilities whose work ... serves to inform the public that they represent a highly skilled talent pool that can help employers compete in today's global economy," said Col. Ted Fordyce, vice commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing. "Our attention is especially important now, supporting our wounded warriors and all persons with disabilities who have proudly served this country without regard to hazard or personal comfort."

Before the game, Airmen learned about the sport's specific rules, like exceptions for travelling and jump balls. While they may have been familiar with basketball strategy and brought their own skills to the floor, the Air Commandos spent most of their practice time adjusting to moving around in a wheelchair.

Like previous matches held at Hurlburt Field, the Patriots gave the home team 30 points at the start of the game. Despite this deficit, the visiting team came within seven points of tying the Air Commandos by the end of the first quarter, 30-23.

"We couldn't even get the ball past half-court," said Col. Curt Van De Walle, commander of the 1st Special Operations Mission Support Group. "They were just toying with us like a cat with a mouse."

Defense became the name of the game in the second quarter as the teams mixed up their rosters.

Now playing for the Patriots, Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Arnold, superintendent of the 1st Special Operations Medical Group, sank a two-pointer for 30-25, becoming the first Team Hurlburt member to score.

Still, Arnold's lone shot and a free throw by the Patriots' D.Q. Robinson were the only points the visiting team scored in the quarter. The Patriots' Sammy Duffy shot three baskets for the home team, giving the Air Commandos the lead going into the second half, 36-26, a Hurlburt first.

"This has always been a lot of fun, but we're going to run the score up now," Duffy said.

At the start of the second half, the Air Commandos were determined to maintain their lead. But the Patriots broke through their defense going on a 6-0 run, bringing them within two baskets of tying the game.

Hurlburt Field called for a timeout and rotated their players, including Capt. Myron Chivis, executive officer of the1st SOW, whose nothing-but-net shot earned some lost points.

Two more shots by the Patriots' Ben Moore and Duffy for the Commandos completed the third quarter, 40-34.

Before the fourth quarter began, the Patriots spotted their opponents another 10 points, bringing the score to 50-34. All the players also went back to their original teams.

"We had one strategy: keep the lead," said Col. James Slife, commander of the 1st SOW.

But then the Patriots' Justin Hollingsworth and Datona Williams scored four points within the first two minutes.

Soon after, a foul by Robinson on Col. Tony Bauernfeind, commander of the 1st Special Operations Group, brought the commander to the free throw line. Bauernfeind missed his two shots, but Slife passed the rebound back for him to win them back, 52-38.

The Patriots then went on a 12-0 run in five minutes, leading the Air Commando bench to shout "Hold the ball!" to their players. Robinson's basket tied the game 52-52, and left the audience and players unsure how the game would end with less than 90 seconds on the clock.

After a jump ball pitted Robinson against the wing commander, Duffy attempted a buzzer-beating basket. But as it bounced off the backboard, regulation time resulted in a draw, another series first.

Although the Air Commandos held on to a lead for all but the last two minutes of the game, the actual score adjusted for spotted points and player substitutions made it 58-6.

"It was all in fun, letting the other guys participate and letting them shoot the ball," Robinson said, who scored 22 points in the game. "But if this was a real game, it would have been different."

Perhaps the full impact of the game couldn't be measured in points scored, but in the lessons each person may have drawn as a result of playing in or watching the game.

"People call us 'disabled' and 'handicapped,' but we're not," Robinson said. "We're just like everybody else who is able-bodied and on their feet. We hope they walk away knowing we are somebody and not just anybody rolling around in a wheelchair looking helpless."

The Patriots are a non-profit team formed in 1984 to highlight the talents of physically-challenged athletes. The team has ranked fourth place in the country for the Wheelchair Basketball Association and has finished in the top 25 teams in America over the last 10 years.