Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

The Air Force Men’s and Army Women’s basketball teams took first place to conclude the Armed Forces Basketball Championship held at the Paige Fieldhouse, Nov 13.

During the finals, the Air Force Men’s Team (5-2) proved their mettle by beating the Army Men’s (5-2) 86-78 to take first place, while the Army Women’s Team (7-0) beat the Air Force Women’s (3-4) 71-55 to bring home the gold.

Over the past week, 72 service members from the All Marine, Navy, Army and Air Force basketball Men and Women’s teams competed in the inter-service challenge in a round-robin style tournament to determine the championship bout.

“This is the eighth year in a row we are taking home the victory,” said Ricardo A. Bachelor, coach for the Air Force Men’s team. “I keep telling my team, ‘It’s in our pedigree, and the secret to our pedigree lies in hard work and attitude over talent.’”

Col. Jeff K. Arruda, chief-of-staff, Marine Corps Installations West - Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, awarded the victors and outstanding players  with medals during the event’s closing ceremony and encouraged the players to continue pursuing their athletic passion.

“This is a great opportunity to showcase Camp Pendleton and develop camaraderie,” said Arruda. “Through the tournament we’re able to foster healthy competition and enjoy some inter-service rivalry and bragging rights for the winning teams.”

The best players and coaches from the different services will be chosen to represent the United States at the international level during the Du Sport Militaire Championship in Belgium in 2015.

“It was a long week and despite our struggles, we really came together as a team to pull off the victory,” said Todd Fletcher, who competed for the Air Force Men’s Team and who was selected to compete in Belgium. “I’m excited to go to Belgium. It’s going to be fun and hopefully we can represent by getting another gold medal.”