Thursday, January 24, 2008

Women’s basketball goes flat in weekend tournament

By Tamika Matthews
Sports Editoe

A rocky start to the weekend helped the Lady Eagles grow closer as a team.

On Saturday, the Fort Belvoir Lady Eagles were geared up for a weekend tournament honoring Martin Luther King Jr. at Fort Lee. The double-elimination tournament saw 12 competitors, including Washington Area Military Athletic Conference teams and regional teams from North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

“We were pretty excited to go down there, being that it was a tournament in recognition of Martin Luther King Day,” said head coach Shonda Moore. “We were determined to do our best.”

But, a flat tire on the Lady Eagles’ travel vehicle quickly put a damper on those plans. Luckily, Moore was able to contact Fort Lee to send a vehicle to pick up the stranded players. She also had a friend following in her own car, who took the rest of the team.

Moore had to stay with the disabled vehicle until a tow truck could pick it up almost two hours later.

Moore said the team had to coach itself through the first game without her. When Moore finally arrived for the second game, the damage had already been done. The Lady Eagles collected their second loss of the night.

“It seems like we never recovered from being so disrupted and discombobulated so early on,” she said. “But we were competitive. We just didn’t win.”

Rather than focus on the bad luck that befell them, the Lady Eagles shared their thoughts about what the King holiday represented. The weekend also
helped the team bond. “Having the team be there without me made them appreciate me more as a coach, and it helped me appreciate them as a team,” Moore said.

Moore is determined to look to the rest of the season and not reflect on the tournament’s struggles. “We’ve put this one behind us. We’re going to move forward from here. We made a vow not to give up, and we’re just going to keep moving on, hopefully with more girls.”

The regular season continues Saturday with a rematch against Fort Myer, this time on Belvoir’s home court. Tip off is at 1 p.m. at Graves Fitness Center.

Remaining Men’s and Women’s Basketball Games
2008 Varsity Season
Jan. 26
Fort Belvoir vs. Fort Myer
Women: 1 p.m.
Men: 3 p.m.

Jan. 27
Fort Belvoir vs. Anacostia NDW
Men: 1 p.m.

Feb. 2
Fort Belvoir vs. Bolling AFB
Women: 1 p.m.
Men: 3 p.m.

Feb.10
Fort Belvoir vs. Fort Detrick
Men: 1 p.m.

Feb. 15 to Mon., Feb. 18
Capital Classic Basketball Tournament at Fort Myer

Feb. 23
Men’s and Women’s All-Star Game at Walter Reed

Feb. 24
Fort Belvoir vs. Quantico
Men: 1 p.m.

March 8
Fort Lee vs. Fort Belvoir
Women: 1 p.m.
Men: 3 p.m.

March 9
Fort Detrick vs. Fort Belvoir
Men: 1 p.m.

March 15
Fort Meade vs. Fort Belvoir
Women: 1 p.m.
Men: 3 p.m.

March 16
Fort Belvoir vs. WRNMMC
Women: 1 p.m.
Men: 3 p.m.

March 22
Anacostia NDW vs. Fort Belvoir
Men: 1 p.m.

March 29
Bolling AFB vs. Fort Belvoir
Women: 1 p.m.
Men: 3 p.m.

March 30
Quantico vs. Fort Belvoir
Men: 1 p.m.

Women’s Championship at Fort Lee, April 5 to 6

Men’s Championship at Fort Meade, April 12 to 13