Belvoir defeats Bolling/Anacostia in WAMAC opener; stumble in next game

The Fort Belvoir men's basketball team had early success in last weekend's Washington Area Military Athletic Conference Tournament, opening with a victory over Bolling/Anacostia by a score of 70-64. They would lose to eventual tournament champion Quantico, 90-79, in the second round and finish the weekend with a fifth-place finish.
After a sluggish start, the Eagles were able to get their fast-break offense going late in the first half. Reginald Hawkins led all scorers with 12 points, while teammate Katoe Chapman contributed eight points for Belvoir before the break.
However, despite the efforts of their two guards, Belvoir turned the ball over frequently and had trouble converting free throws. They went into halftime leading Bolling/Anacostia 33-30.
Midway through the second half, Chapman converted back-to-back layups off steals to give Belvoir an eight-point lead. Hawkins drilled a three-pointer a few minutes later and, after exchanging a handful of baskets with their opponent, had an 11-point lead with less than three minutes to play.
Belvoir would still have trouble closing things out, as they let Bolling/Anacostia creep back into the game through turnovers and poor free-throw shooting. For the game, Belvoir was 5-18 from the charity stripe.
Fortunately for the Eagles, Bolling/Anacostia was having trouble with free throws as well, and it was becoming clear that the game would be decided by defense. Belvoir would let Bolling/Anacostia get as close as six, before buckling down and hanging on for the opening round victory.
"Aside from the free-throws, I thought we played really well. Our defense came through when we needed it," Belvoir head coach Herb Marshall said after the game. "Bolling/ Anacostia beat us twice during the regular season, so this win means a lot to us. I'm proud of the whole team."
Marshall and assistant coach Mike Riddick agreed it was a good statement game for the Belvoir squad. In addition to Chapman and Hawkins, who each scored 24 points for the game and accounted for more than half their team's offense, the two coaches highlighted the play of their big men, Lavan Dawson and Miguel Sierra, down the stretch.