19th MDG double downs on PEC to win championship

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jacob Barreiro
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  The 19th Medical Group intramural basketball team defeated the Professional Education Center intramural basketball team, from Camp Robinson, twice Monday night to win the base intramural basketball championship, overcoming early PEC leads in both games to win 54-47 and 59-51.

Each team entered the contest with a regular season record of 10-2, an identical record that promised fans a well-contested matchup.

The intramural basketball tournament was a double-elimination tournament, and since the 19th MDG entered the game from the loser's bracket, they were going to have to beat the winner's bracket entry PEC twice to win the championship.

Despite being faced with the tall task of having to defeat an evenly matched team in two consecutive games, the 19th MDG brought a crowd of raucous and devoted fans with them, who erupted in ecstatic cheers as their team took over each game in the crucial moments.

Each game reflected how closely matched the teams were, but the 19th MDG's ability to dominate the final five minutes proved the difference.

In the first match, the PEC built up a 26-21 halftime lead, but was never able to pull away from the 19th MDG, who took their first lead of the half, a 41-40 advantage, with 3:30 remaining. They would go on to dominate the remaining minutes of the game, outscoring the PEC 13-7.

The second game unfolded in almost an identical way, with the PEC taking a 40-34 lead with 18 minutes remaining; however, once again they were unable to hold off the 19th MDG who forced turnovers and made free-throws that the PEC missed in the final moments of the game.

As the clock ticked down to zero, the bench of the 19th MDG and the fans erupted in loud cheers, as the team celebrated their victory in center group and were presented with the trophy.

Over 30 league not so close

The PEC and 19th MDG's over 30 teams also squared off in a championship game before the regular intramural league, but the game had neither the tension nor proximity of competitiveness that the later matchups did.

In the over 30 championship game, the 19th MDG won the tipoff, but everything went south from there en route to a 74-32 thrashing they received from the PEC.

The 42-point victory closed out a 13-0 season for the PEC, who dominated the over 30 league. The 19th MDG over 30 intramural basketball team entered the matchup with a record of 6-6, and to their credit, never stopped hustling or playing hard, but proved no match for the PEC.