115th CSH slips past DES to claim Fort Polk Intramural basketball championship

Photo By Chuck Cannon | Mat Vanderlutt (left) prepares to drive against Sherron Goffigang (0).  

FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES

03.16.2018

Story by Chuck Cannon 

Fort Johnson Public Affairs Office

FORT POLK, La. — Former New York Yankee great and Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member Yogi Berra once made the observation that, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
The cagers of the 115th Combat Support Hospital proved the accuracy of those prophetic words by overcoming a five-point deficit over the final 1:20 to wrestle a 31-30 victory away from the Directorate of Emergency Services Bayou Boyz and claim the trophy as champions of the 2018 Fort Polk Intramural Basketball season March 7 at the 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Gym.
“I knew that even though we were down, if we could manage the clock we could still win,” 115th guard Que Ilion said.
Ilion did his part to ensure he and his teammates completed the improbable come-from-behind win, drilling a three-point field goal to tie the game, then sinking two pressure-packed free throws with one second left to secure the win.
“I was nervous,” 115th coach Marquel Lemons said following the game.
“But I trust Ilion. He’s the one player on our team I want to take the shot at crunch time — he’s not afraid.”
Both teams came out tight, and when the first half ended, 115th clung to a 10-8 lead.
They quickly increased their advantage to five after a three-point basket by Lemons pushed the advantage to 13-8.
But DES mounted a comeback of its own, getting aggressive play from Robert “Freeze” Harrington to grab a five-point lead at 27-22 and seemingly have the game in hand. Things then got interesting.
The teams traded baskets and with 33 ticks left on the clock, Ilion hit his three to pull 115th within two at 29-27. Jhovane Bailey converted a layup for the Combat Support Hospital to tie the game at 29-29 with 11 seconds remaining.
DES’ JP Potier was fouled a second later and went to the charity stripe with 10 seconds left and a chance to put his team on top. Potier converted on one of two free throws to give his team a one-point lead and set the stage for Ilion’s heroics.
Lemons led the 115th in scoring with 14 points, while Ilion added 9.
“We started out pretty sluggish, but finished strong,” Lemons said. “We’ve worked hard all year and came together when we had to.”
Capt. Dale Scott, commander Alpha Company and Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 115th CSH, said he was confident his Soldiers would win.
“These guys are awesome,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of Soldiers. They like to drag things out sometimes, and I was pretty nervous there for a while, but they came on strong at the end. I’m real proud of them.
DES, which finished second in the season-ending double-elimination tournament, earned the right to face 115th for the title by defeating 41st Transportation Company 45-34 in an elimination game prior to the title tilt. Harrington paced the DES effort by tallying 12 points. He also totaled 9 points to lead DES in the final.

• Date Taken: 03.16.2018
• Date Posted: 03.23.2018 16:12
• Story ID: 270454
• Location: FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US