Tempers flare as depot hoopsters shut down civilian team

7 Oct 2005 | Pvt. Charlie Chavez Marine Corps Recruiting Command

Marines coolly walked away from a tempered game after the depot's varsity basketball team crushed Kensington, a civilian team, 56-34 at the San Diego Citadel in Clairemont, Tuesday.

The game started out with the depot scoring 19 relentless points, answered back only once by a foul shot for a single point. Momentum continued for the Marines, who scored 28 points before the half was over.

Kensington did manage to close the gap by the end of the first half, making the score 28-14.

"We established a solid presence in our defense," said Gunnery Sgt. E. W. Seward, coach and player. "We basically put a strangle on the other team. We shut down second-chance rebounds and made points hard to come by."

After establishing themselves on the court, the second half became a solid performance for the players.

"We wanted to keep the lead and play the solid defense like we had played the whole game," said Lance Cpl. Robert C. Padilla, guard.

Later in the game, flaring tempers got the best of some of the Kensington players.

"We were frustrating them," said Seward. "In a competitive game, frustration sets in, especially with a commanding lead; they lost their composure.

"Many of the depot players were being fouled and restrained by some of the players on the other team.

"The referees let them get away with a lot of fouls, which made them think they could do it the whole game," said Lance Cpl. Dorian Gardner, center.

The depot celebrated its second win out of five games. Its next game is Oct. 11, against Chaldean at 9:15 p.m. at the San Diego Citadel in Clairemont.
Marine Corps Recruiting Command