Airmen fly over Kotahena
Air Force saw what appeared to be a possible rout in their Avant Garde basketball fixture against the Old Bens spectacularly transform into a heart-stopper, which they clinched 72-64 after weathering a late storm with some big play down the stretch at the Henry Pedris courts yesterday.
The airmen were rocked by the strong play of Clinton Stallone, who drove into the paint with sublime skill, speed and awareness to knock down 27 points. However, Air Force’s clutch defensive play and a couple of big buckets from their lead scorer Dishan Wille, who finished with 21, ironed out all concern with a minute to go in the game.
Air Force started at a frenetic pace, with Wille establishing his presence inside by cleverly balancing his power with patient work in the post. Gari Corray, who finished with 14 points, and skipper Ravi Dodangoda (13 points) joined him in the scoring act, and before long Air Force led 35-21 late in the second quarter.
Although the Benedictines cut it to 37-28 at halftime, they were looking anything but competitive. And worse, they were leaking easy offensive rebounds. Stallone set about rectifying the situation with some magical ball handling, dribbling through traffic and finishing off with equal brilliance at the rim.
The Bens were also beginning to work more on the boards and defend with increased venom, making easy scoring near impossible for Air Force. Suddenly the crowd was back in it and the score was tied at 58. But a buzzer-beater from inside the paint by Wille and several ensuing free-throws from his teammates sealed things in the game’s dwindling minutes, ensuring that they were sighing in relief and not hanging their heads in disappointment.