Steven Smith of U.S. Naval Hospital Camp Lester shoota past McCarthy Daphney of 3rd Force during on Tuesday. Smith scored a team-high 24 points as Hospital won 89-79, its first victory in the 13 years its been coming to the Marine Regionals. (Dave Ornauer / S&S)
Steven Smith of U.S. Naval Hospital Camp Lester shoota past McCarthy Daphney of 3rd Force during on Tuesday. Smith scored a team-high 24 points as Hospital won 89-79, its first victory in the 13 years its been coming to the Marine Regionals. (Dave Ornauer / S&S)
Guard Chris Lemonia, left, of U.S. Naval Hospital Camp Lester goes up for a shot past 3rd Force's McCarthy Daphney on Tuesday. (Dave Ornauer / S&S)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Seemingly ceaseless rain has prevailed almost from the start of the 2005 Marine Forces Pacific Regional Basketball Tournament outside the Foster Field House. And the rain has affected the games even though they are being played indoors.
Condensation — the product of rainfall, high humidity and no air conditioning — made the court somewhat slippery, causing safety concerns among players, coaches and tournament officials.
“It could be worse,” said forward Josh Reaser of Okinawa’s 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. “But it makes it hard for rebounding, especially offensive rebounding.”
Coaches spent their pre-game time stressing the importance of being safety-conscious.
“You have to be aware of the footing at all times,” said Reaser’s coach Greg Mitchell, adding that teams who get big leads have to guard against “mental mistakes” or showboating. “You have to play straight basketball,” Mitchell said, “no alley-oops, no dunks.”
This year’s tournament comes at the tail end of Okinawa’s rainy season. Tuesday’s weather included 90-percent humidity and almost 3 inches of rain in 24 hours.
To reduce on-court condensation, officials chose to close as many field house windows and doors as possible. But that made the indoor atmosphere stifling, especially on sunny Monday. Tuesday was a bit cooler but still uncomfortable.
“I know it’s unpopular,” said Sonny Jones of Marine Corps Community Services Semper Fit Athletics, which oversees the regional tournament program.
Holding the tournament in a drier venue was impossible, Jones said, becuase every MCCS-Okinawa athletic facility with a basketball court is “about the same:” no air-conditioning, varying ventilation. Camp Foster’s Kubasaki High School does have an air-conditioned gym but school is in session until Friday.
So the floor is dry-mopped after each half and after each game — and after players fell, even Jones wielded a dry-mop.
Corpsmen score first Marine Regional winIt took more than a decade and came against a team that fielded just five players and finished the game with four. But for the first time since U.S. Naval Hospital Camp Lester began entering Marine regional basketball in 1993, it finally won a game.
Forward Steven Smith netted 24 points as the Corpsmen downed Okinawa’s 3rd Force Service Support Group 89-79.
“After 12 years, it feels great,” said Hospital coach Ben Hays, who was with the team in 2004 when it had just six players. Now, with a full complement of 11 players, the team no longer wishes to be considered an also-ran, Hays said.
“This year, we’re here,” he said. “We know we have a good group . … We have heart. We’re trying to win the tournament.”
Hospital got 41 points despite a 3rd Force team that did not quit until the final buzzer.
“They never gave up,” Hays said. “That No. 5 (guard Demetric Noble) was spectacular.”
Hospital fell back to Earth later Tuesday, losing 86-69 to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan.
2005 Marine Forces Pacific Regional Tournament
At Foster Field House, Camp Foster, Okinawa
Round-Robin Standings W L Pct. GB
Camp S.D. Butler, Okinawa 3 0 1.000 —
3rd Marine Division/Expeditionary Force, Okinawa 3 0 1.000 —
1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Okinawa 2 1 1.000 1
U.S. Naval Hospital, Okinawa 1 2 .333 2
Iwakuni Air Station, Japan 1 3 .250 2½
3rd Force, Okinawa 0 4 .000 3½
Monday’s scores
Division 81, Iwakuni 62
IWAKUNI (62)— Winfred Murphy 5 4-6 14, Lee Woodbridge 3 1-6 7, Kenard Smith 7 0-0 14, Benjamin Akins 7 0-5 15, Joseph Dawkins 1 0-0 2, Jeremy Chadwell 2 0-0 5, Terrance McDowell 1 1-3 3, Michael Roybal 0 2-2 2. Totals 26 8-22 62.
DIVISION (81)— Kyle Scott 8 1-4 17, Matthew Williams 6 0-0 12, Robert Ceballos 1 0-0 2, 6 1-3 16, Jermaine Partlow 3 1-3 7, Jimmy Wheeler 8 0-1 16, Jonathan Molloy 0 1-2 1, Christopher Gear 2 0-0 4, Sunny Louenthone 2 1-2 6. Totals 36 5-11 82.
Halftime:Division 28, Iwakuni 26. Three-point goals: Division 4 (Clement 3, Louenthone 1), Iwakuni 2 (Akins 1, Chadwell 1). Total fouls: Division 20, Iwakuni 15.
Base 81, 3rd Force 55
3RD FORCE (55)— Andrew Wohlgemuth 0 0-0 0, Demetric Noble 7 2-2 19, McCarthy Daphney 2 2-4 6, Leopaldo Bernardo 3 2-4 8, Gabriel Orr 3 4-4 11, Omari Livingston 3 2-2 8. Totals 18 12-16 55.
BASE (81)— Robert Gibbons 5 0-0 10, Robert Avery 2 0-0 4, Vincent White 4 1-2 12, Yonnes Sanders 7 7-10 21, Marcus Dale 2 2-2 6, Maurice Williams 1 1-3 4, Kendrick Fergusion 3 1-2 7, John Logan 7 0-1 17. Totals 31 12-20 81.
Halftime:Base 45, 3rd Force 17. Three-point goals: Base 7 (White 3, Logan 3, Williams 1), 3rd Force 6 (Noble 5, Orr 1). Total fouls: Base 15, 3rd Force 22. Fouled out: 3rd Force, Wohlgemuth.
Wing 102, Iwakuni 66
IWAKUNI (66) — Winfred Murphy 6 5-6 17, Lee Woodbridge 3 2-5 8, Kenard Smith 3 0-2 6, Benjamin Akins 0 1-1 1, Joseph Dawkins 5 1-4 11, Jeremy Chadwell 5 0-3 15, Terrance McDowell 2 1-2 6, Michael Roybal 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 10-23 66.
Wing (102) — Taurice McMillan 4 0-0 8, Kerry Yates 3 3-3 9, Josh Reaser 10 0-1 20, Tony Winters 8 0-0 17, Tafehali Henley 4 2-4 12, Thomas Johnson 1 4-7 6, Billy Shanks 5 1-2 12, Kwan Cochrane 2 0-0 4, Chadwick Berryman 1 0-0 2, James Louis 6 0-0 12. Totals 44 10-14 102.
Halftime: Iwakuni 47-44. Three-point goals: Iwakuni 6 (Chadwell 5, McDowell 1), Wing 4 (Henley 2, Shanks 1, Winters 1). Total fouls: Iwakuni 15, Wing 24. Fouled out: Wing, Louis.
Base 74, Hospital 57
HOSPITAL (57) — Theo Pardo 4 0-0 9, Walter Dumas 2 0-0 4, Steven Smith 4 1-1 9, Norris Casen 1 2-2 4, Jai Velasco 2 2-4 8, Jermaine Roundtree 2 3-3 8, Jerry West 0 0-1 0, Christopher Rickaros 3 1-2 7, Richard Barcelona 3 1-1 8. Totals 21 10-14 57.
BASE (74) — Gregory Nelson 7 5-7 19, Robert Gibbons 11 2-2 24, Vincent White 1 2-2 5, Yonnes Sanders 2 2-2 6, Marcus Dale 3 0-0 8, Marvin Kelsey 0 0-2 0, Kendrick Fergusion 1 0-0 2, John Logan 4 0-0 10. Totals 29 11-17 74.
Halftime: Base, 33-31. Three-point goals: Hospital 5 (Velasco 2, Pardo 1, Roundtree 1, Barcelona 1), Base 5 (Logan 2, Dale 2, White 1). Total fouls: Hospital 19, Base 18. Fouled out: Base, White. Technical: Base, White.
Division 104, 3rd Force 66
3RD FORCE (66)— Andrew Wohlgemuth 1 2-2 4, Omari Livingston 5 0-1 11, McCarthy Daphney 1 2-3 4, Demetric Noble 4 1-4 10, Leopaldo Bernardo 5 1-2 13, Gabriel Orr 7 4-7 18. Totals 23 10-19 60.
DIVISION (104)— Jermaine Partlow 5 3-4 14, Kyle Scott 0 2-2 2, Robert Ceballos 6 3-3 15, Aadam Clement 4 2-3 13, Matthew Williams 2 0-0 4, Lawrence Leach 6 1-1 14, Jeremy Rugg 6 0-0 16, Sunny Lounethone 1 3-5 5, Christopher Gear 3 3-3 9, Jonathan Molloy 6 0-0 12. Totals 39 17-21 104.
Halftime: Division, 46-33. Three-point goals: 3rd Force 5 (Bernardo 2, Noble 2, Livingston 1), Division 9 (Rugg 4, Clement 3, Leach 1, Partlow 1). Total fouls: 3rd Force 19, Division 16. Fouled out: 3rd Force, Wohlgemuth, Daphney.
Tuesday’s scores
Wing 83, 3rd Force 55
WING (83) — Taurice McMillan 2 0-0 4, James Louis 2 0-0 4, Joshua Reaser 7 2-2 16, Tony Winters 5 2-5 12, Billy Shanks 2 0-0 5, Kerry Yates 5 0-0 12, Thomas Johnson 5 1-1 13, Tafehali Henley 2 0-0 4, Kwan Cochrane 3 1-2 7, Chadwick Berryman 3 0-0 6. Totals 36 6-11 83.
3RD FORCE (55) — Omari Livingston 4 3-5 11, Andrew Wohlgemuth 1 0-0 2, McCarthy Daphney 6 1-3 13, Demetric Noble 8 0-1 19, Gabriel Orr 4 0-0 8. Totals 23 4-9 55.
Halftime: Wing, 37-23. Three-point goals: Wing 5 (Johnson 2, Yates 2, Shanks 1), 3rd Force 3 (Noble 3). Total fouls: Wing 15, 3rd Force 11.
Base 102, Iwakuni 62
BASE (102)— Gregory Nelson 7 3-6 17, Robert Gibbons 12 4-5 28, Robert Avery 1 2-3 4, Yonnes Sanders 5 0-0 11, Vincent White 6 0-0 14, Marcus Dale 5 0-0 10, Maurice Williams 2 0-0 5, Kendrick Fergusion 3 1-2 7, John Logan 3 0-0 6. Totals 44 10-16 102.
IWAKUNI (62)— Winfred Murphy 6 5-7 17, Jeremy Chadwell 3 0-0 8, Kenard Smith 5 2-3 12, Joseph Dawkins 2 0-0 5, Benjamin Akins 2 1-2 5, Terrance McDowell 3 0-1 7, Lee Woodbridge 4 0-0 8, Michael Roybal 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 8-13 62.
Halftime:Base 53, Iwakuni 30. Three-point goals: Base 4 (White 2, Sanders 1, Williams 1), Iwakuni 4 (Chadwell 2, Dawkins 1, McDowell 1). Total fouls: Base 13, Iwakuni 15. Fouled out: Iwakuni, Roybal.
Hospital 89, 3rd Force 79
HOSPITAL (89) — Richard Barcelona 2 0-0 5, Theo Pardo 1 9-10 11, Walter Dumas 5 2-4 12, Steven Smith 10 4-5 24, Jermaine Roundtree 2 6-9 10, Norris Cason 9 0-4 19, Chris Lemonia 4 0-2 8. Totals 33 21-34 89.
3RD FORCE (79) — Omari Livingston 3 3-6 9, Demetric Noble 14 4-4 41, Gabriel Orr 5 4-5 14, McCarthy Daphney 2 0-0 4, Andrew Wohlgemuth 4 0-2 11. Totals 28 11-17 79.
Halftime: Hospital, 38-35. Three-point goals: Hospital 2 (Barcelona 1, Cason 1), 3rd Force 12 (Noble 9, Wohlgemuth 3). Total fouls: Hospital 17, 3rd Force 19. Fouled out: Hospital, Cason; 3rd Force, Daphney. Technical: 3rd Force, Daphney.
Division 85, Wing 64
WING (64) —Taurice McMillan 6 1-3 13, Kerry Yates 2 1-2 6, Joshua Reaser 6 0-0 13, Tony Winters 5 0-0 11, Billy Shanks 2 0-0 5, Thomas Johnson 3 0-0 7, Tafehali Henley 0 0-0 0, Kwan Cochrane 2 1-2 5, Chadwick Berryman 2 0-0 4, James Louis 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 3-7 64.
DIVISION (85) — Kyle Scott 7 1-6 15, Robert Ceballos 0 0-0 0, Jimmy Wheeler 8 4-6 20, Matthew Williams 6 0-0 14, Aadam Clement 7 0-0 17, Jeremy Rugg 3 0-0 8, Jonathan Molloy 1 2-2 4, Christopher Gear 1 0-0 2, Sunny Louenthone 1 0-0 2, Jermaine Partlow 1 1-3 3. Totals 35 8-17 85.
Three-point goals: Wing 5 (Yates 1, Reaser 1, Winters 1, Johnson 1, Shanks 1), Division 7 (Clement 3, Rugg 2, Williams 2). Total fouls: Wing 17, Division 13.
Iwakuni 86, Hospital 69
IWAKUNI (86) —Winfield Murphy 7 4-6 18, Jeremy Chadwell 7 0-0 18, Kenard Smith 4 0-0 8, Joseph Dawkins 3 0-4 6, Benjamin Akins 5 2-2 14, Terrance McDowell 2 0-0 4, Lee Woodbridge 7 2-2 16, Michael Roybal 1 0-0 2. Totals 36 8-14 86.
HOSPITAL (69) —Richard Barcelona 1 0-0 3, Theo Pardo 2 0-0 4, Walter Dumas 3 2-3 8, Steven Smith 2 1-2 5, Jermaine Roundtree 4 1-2 10, Norris Cason 10 2-4 29, Chris Lemonia 4 2-2 10. Totals 26 8-13 69.
Halftime: Iwakuni, 50-47. Three-point goals: Iwakuni 6 (Chadwell 4, Akins 2), Hospital 9 (Cason 7, Roundtree 1, Barcelona 1). Total fouls: Iwakuni 13, Hospital 14.
