Rams smash Sabers 72-51 in Veterans Day basketball tourney

Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Travis Edwards
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs


The Ramstein Rams showed the Spangdahlem Sabers why they are 6-0 with an overwhelming 72-51 victory at the Veterans Day Basketball Tournament Nov. 13 on Ramstein.

The annual event took place Nov. 11 through 13 with the Rams plowing through their competition to earn a bye, reducing the number of games they had to play Nov. 13 by two. “We’ve been working on this team for (more than) a year now,” said Kevan Sutton, Ramstein Rams head coach. “But there is no substitution for a real game and these guys were ready — mentally and physically prepared — for whatever Spang had to offer.”

It started as a close game in the first half, with each team trading baskets after almost every shot made. Then, with 10 minutes on the clock in the second half, the Rams scored seven unanswered points, courtesy of Anthony Calogero, who magnificently took a shot from downtown, adding three more points.
At this point the Sabers were only able to barely keep up, slightly due to the sheer number of fouls committed by the Rams.

“(The Sabers) were good, but we had the chemistry,” said Felton “Sleep” Scott, the championship game’s MVP. “We came out with a lot of energy and kept that energy going until the buzzer rang.” Scott was the oldest member on the team at 37, but even as the eldest, he still had the energy to pull nine rebounds and 17 points with one assist.

It was his energy, coupled with the Rams ability that the Sabers could not keep up with, having played three games previous to the match with the Rams.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the way (the Rams) performed this weekend,” Sutton said. “They were able to come together and build on every ounce of momentum and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of the families and facilities of Ramstein; they helped make it happen.”