Air Force claims armed forces basketball title Published Nov. 14, 2007 MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. (AFPN) -- The Air Force team swept away the competition to win the Armed Forces Basketball Tournament that concluded Nov. 13 here. The Air Force captured the gold for the second year in a row by going undefeated in the tournament. The defending champion Air Force team faced off against the Marine team during the first game of the tournament. Guard Ollie Bradley led the Air Force team in scoring, with 24 points, giving the Air Force a 92-82 victory over the Devil Dogs. The air and sea clashed in the next game as the Air Force and Navy battled against each other. Forward Jacob Burtschi led the Air Force onslaught by scoring 27 points in the game. The 98-86 final score left the Air Force with a 2-0 record. In what would turn out to be an extremely close game, the Air Force team defended their 2-0 record against the Army team. By the end of the first half, it looked as if the Army could deliver the Air Force its first defeat. Burtschi was a key player for the Air Force, as the bluesuiters fought back in the second half to win the game, 56-52 The Air Force were nearly handed their first defeat of the tournament at the hands of the Marines as their rematch went into overtime. Guard Johnny Hernandez helped Air Force to victory with his solid defense and made key free throws to help win the game. The Air Force team held onto its perfect record beating the Marines, 78-68. In their fifth game, the Air Force defeated the Navy in a game that was tied at the half. William Griffith, a player who hadn't played many minutes, came in and gave the Air Force a real lift in the second half playing solid defense. Early in the second half, Air Force jumped ahead by 17 points, and then allowed Navy to close within a few points, before they ended the game with a 78-72 victory. Air Force faced off against Army for their sixth and final game. Having already captured the gold medal, the Air Force was playing to seal its perfect record. Guard Drew Colen, Bradley and Bertschi combined for 50 points and led the Air Force squad to victory. The Air Force team clinched a perfect 6-0 record by beating Army, 77-68. "We felt really good especially knowing we already clinched the gold medal," said John Bailey, the All-Air Force head coach who was a player the last time Air Force won back-to-back gold medals. "The coaching staff did an excellent job keeping the kids focused." The tournament's final standings were first place, Air Force with a 6-0 record. Second place, Marines 3-3, third place Army 2-4 and fourth Navy 1-5. Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) View the comments/letters page