LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
The Air Force Targeting Center continued its chase to the championship, clinching a critical intramural basketball play-off victory over the rival 1st Equipment Maintenance Squadron team March 4 at the Shellbank Fitness Center, 65-58.
AFTC came into the contest with a new name, having been previously known as the Combat Targeting and Intelligence Group team. With solid playoff performance, the squad faced the potential of a long night upon winning the game against the EMS and then having to face off against the 633d Civil Engineer Squadron.
For AFTC Small Forward Drew Colen, it was a challenge for which the team was ready and willing.
"We can't get too blown up in this one because you know we're playing again as soon as this one's over," Colen confidently told teammates during the first half of the game.
Colen backed up his words with performance, pairing with AFTC Point Guard Brandon Doss to rack up a 30-20 lead at halftime. Doss' performance was near-perfect, relying on his trademark shooting accuracy and missing only two field goals all night.
The EMS squad came into the second half looking to balance the score, using power to attempt their comeback. The first five minutes of the half saw six players fall to the floor because of the intense physicality of the contest; however, the AFTC team fought fire with fire, giving the ball to the All-Air Force Forward Colen, who powered inside the paint for lay-ups to keep his team ahead.
Despite last-minute timeouts and furious drives, EMS could not recover, and fouls committed in the final seconds of the game gave AFTC even more chances to add to the lead.
Following the victory, AFTC returned to the court and started the preparations for battle against the 633 CES in the semi-final contest. The winner of that game will advance to face the 633d Medical Group in the double-header championship, scheduled for March 8 at the fitness center.
"We're going all the way," Doss said after the game. "We've been too good this season to stop now."