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OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — For the second straight year, the Osan Defenders men took the hard road to the Koreawide Post-Level Interservice Basketball Tournament title, while the women’s champion had an easier time.

Darrell Harmon again figured heavily into the result. The tournament MVP helped the Defenders come out of the loser’s bracket, beating the Camp Humphreys Bulldogs 76-73 and 93-85 Sunday in a two-game final in the double-elimination tournament.

“They didn’t make it easy,” Osan assistant coach Dietrick Glover said.

After opening Friday night by defeating Western Corridor 80-66, Humphreys, the only team to beat Osan’s men during the regular season, sent the Defenders to the loser’s bracket 81-77 on Saturday.

From there, the Defenders began the long road back, ousting Camp Hovey 90-76. Then an emphatic slam dunk by Cedric Tanner sparked Osan past Yongsan 99-89. It set the tone for the team the rest of the way, Glover said.

“From that point, there was no looking back,” he said.

Another key, Glover said, was defense, spearheaded by newcomer Chris Miller.

Then there was Harmon, who scored 38 points in the first championship game, concluding his two-year tenure in Defenders uniform “in rare form,” Glover said. “Our head coach, Tony Jones, said Harmon looked like he did back when he was playing for Yokota in 1993.”

MVP Amanda Manley and Camp Red Cloud had an easier time capturing the women’s title, routing the Yongsan Runnin’ Rebels 70-42 in Sunday’s final at the Osan main sports and fitness center.

That gave both titles in the season-ending tournament to the Korea Traveling League’s regular-season champions. Camp Red Cloud’s women finished 12-3, while Osan’s men were 14-2.

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