Unit News
Brigade Support Battalion, 5th Brigade, 1st Armored Division’s basketball team walked away victorious at the Echelon Above Corps basketball tournament after defeating Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 11th Air Defense Artillery, at Milam Gym March 4. Photo by Sgt. William Bolderson, 11th ADA Bde. Public Affairs.
Sgt. Alexander Burnett
11th ADA Bde. Public Affairs
The Brigade Support Battalion, 5th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, scraped by the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade 42-39 in the Echelon Above Corps Championship basketball game at Milam Gym March 4.
The “Imperial” basketball team had a season for the record books. The Soldiers were true underdogs, beginning the season with a severe losing streak. They inched their way into the playoffs, lost their first game and earned their position in the loser bracket.
“Being placed in the loser bracket of a tournament de-motivates on so many levels,” said Andrew Horner, the 11th ADA Bde. commander’s driver. “First you know you’re in a losing bracket and you have to win more games to earn a position in the championship.”
The HHB, 11th ADA Bde. Soldiers gained momentum in the playoffs after that first loss. The team won game after game against units, both in and out of their brigade. Finally, they defeated 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command in the semi-finals, earning a position at the championship game, said Terrell Aldridge, a HHB, 11th ADA Bde. orderly room non-commissioned officer.
Staff Sgt. John Hughes of HHB, 11th ADA Bde., attempts to block Sgt. Lorenzo Gathers of BSB, 5th Bde., 1st Armored Div., from scoring a two-point layup. Photo by Sgt. William Bolderson, 11th ADA Bde. Public Affairs.
The odds were stacked against the “Backbone” Battery from the moment they entered the gym. The BSB 5-1 AD team had a full 12-man roster to play the game – HHB only had seven players, yet they still put in a solid performance. HHB dominated the first half, taking a 12-point lead within minutes. The battery’s defense worked vigorously to keep their opponents from scoring, and rebounding everything they could.
“We did a great job of working the paint,” said Horner. “We boxed them out and if they got a shot off we made sure to get the rebound.”
The HHB Soldiers went into the second half with an 8-point lead, but it did not last long. The BSB team came back strong and aggressive. They used HHB’s low numbers to their advantage by tiring out their opponents. The battery continued to defend, but it was not enough.
“They [BSB] played a smart game and they came out on top,” said Staff Sgt. Calvin Bright, an HHB, 11 ADA Bde. platoon sergeant and the team’s coach. “In the end, we got tired and they used that to their advantage. We did give them a run for their money though.”