Navy team takes honours on day 2 of the defence services basketball championship

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The second day of the tournament started off with the Air Force (Women’s) team playing against the Navy (Girls) team in which the Navy team came out on top in a very close and thrilling game.

The game started off with the Air force team getting first possession of the ball off the jump ball but they struggled to convert it successfully into a shooting opportunity. Two minutes into the game it was the Navy team who finally scored thanks to the Navy point guard moving her players around and creating an offensive play with well-timed screens to get past the opponents’ defence. The Navy team also employed a tight man to man defence as the Air Force team comfort zone seemed to be around the perimeter which is how they scored most of their points in the quarter.

Photo Album – SL Navy (Women) v SL Air Force (Women) Defence Services Basketball

It seemed like both teams were equally matched as they struggled to score in the second quarter. The Navy team’s strategy to score was by passing over to the unguarded player on the other end, skipping the defence which worked a couple times as the Air Force defence was slow to recover. Although the Navy team did have the better offensive plays, making use of all their players, it was the Air Force team who took the lead sticking to their strong suite of taking 3 pointers in which they were quite successful.

Half Time: Navy – 25 Air Force – 32

The Navy team looked to score through a few assists in the third quarter which worked out as they passed to the open player to take a jumper which also included a 3 pointer, not only reducing the deficit but also giving them the lead. It was not kept for long as they lost the ball during the dribble off a few crucial fast breaks.

The final 10 minutes began with Navy scoring the first basket putting the pressure on both teams as the score was equal and it could be anyone’s game. Both teams took turns at taking the lead as the two teams scored one after the other although the Navy team had the slight edge being faster than their opponents. Using this to their advantage, they scored a couple of baskets more through a few fast breaks and since the Air Force team didn’t take the risk of trying to reduce the deficit by shooting around the perimeter, it resulted in them losing the match by 10 points.

Full Time: Navy – 66 Air Force – 56