MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Marine Corps Air Station Miramar’s varsity basketball team played their final regular season games at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Semper Fit Center, Saturday, before the league championship.
Coach James Stewart, a San Diego native, continually finds new players to assist the team in achieving the ultimate goal, winning the league championship.
“I’m here to prove myself as an asset to the team and as someone coach can count on in a close game,” said Pfc. Edward Jones, a shooting guard for the team and Swainsboro, Ga., native. “The more playing time I get, the more I understand the system the team uses. This allows me to become a better player within the system.”
The station’s team first squared off against their cross-town rivals from Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego.
From the tip-off, Miramar struggled to find holes in the MCRD defense, which forced Miramar to account for five turnovers leading to points for MCRD.
Miramar began their comeback as forward and Pittsburgh native , Chief Warrant Officer 2 Avrum C. Flemming, tallied eight points to help put Miramar in position to take the lead, forcing MCRD head coach and Newport News, Va., native, Master Gunnery Sgt. Breon Haskett, to take a timeout.
Once Miramar took the lead, they never looked back. When the horn sounded, ending the first half, Miramar had a 36-24 lead. Throughout the season, Miramar averaged more than 70 points per game and this was no exception. They walked off the court victorious, a score of 71-53.
Later that afternoon, Miramar took to the court for their last match against the “Hawks,” of Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
In their previous meeting at Vandenberg AFB, the Hawks defeated Miramar, 75-70.
The Hawks set the pace early in the game, pulling a 20-point lead in less than five minutes. With 13 minutes remaining in the first half, Vandenberg led 21-6.
When play resumed, Miramar began generating tough offense by finding one of their newest guards, Edward Jones. Jones, along with Cpl. Marquelle Edwards a Flint, Mich., native, scored 17 of Miramar’s 31 first-half points. At the end of the first half, Vandenberg had a 45-31 advantage over MCAS Miramar.
Miramar guard, Staff Sgt. Love, a Chicago native, began finding his rhythm as he scored 13 points over the next 10 minutes, pulling Miramar within nine points. During the last six minutes of the game, Miramar’s defense stepped up and began to shut down the Hawks’ offense. Love continued to perform as a veteran on the team by sinking jump shots and challenging the Hawks’ defense.
In the end, the Hawks defeated Miramar 81-76.
“Miramar always brings a good team when they play us,” said Hawks’ head coach Chris Jones, a Miami native. “They are going to be one of the toughest teams we play in the league championships.”
The next day, Miramar played their final league play game against Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Miramar’s offense couldn’t gain any momentum after losing an eight-point lead in the second half. Camp Pendleton went on to defeat Miramar 69-67.
Scoring leaders for Miramar throughout the weekend were Staff Sgt. Love, who averaged 15 points per game with 26 points against Vandenberg AFB, and Pfc. Jones, who averaged 13 points per game with 22 points against Camp Pendleton.