Air force has taken back-to-back titles during the South Australian Interservice Basketball Championships at RAAF Base Edinburgh last month.
The mixed competition held a round-robin draw on day one, with the top two teams advancing to the finals held the next day.
The aviators were solid during the round robin, except for a loss to a motivated Army team, eager to reclaim the title.
But when they met again in the finals, Air Force adjusted their tactics and fought hard to leave the court as winners in the final quarter, scoring 51-32.
Tournament most valuable player (MVP) Flight Lieutenant Dustin Duggan said it was good to come away with the win again, after a long period of Army domination.
"We have a close group of guys that will get around and play together fairly regularly during the week here in Adelaide, so back-to-back wins for us was pretty exciting," he said.
Flight Lieutenant Duggan grew up watching his mum play basketball and started himself at eight years old.
On winning MVP, he said it was always good to be recognised for playing well.
"I've been playing for a long time, so I just love being out there and playing," Flight Lieutenant Duggan said.
"The guys were doing a good job of helping me get into my spots to be successful and hopefully I was helping them out as well."
'I love doing triservice stuff and hanging out with everyone from the different services.'
Army went undefeated during the round robin, and though they came up short in the final, point guard Gunner Jaylon Lanng said it was a great competition.
"I've played a lot of high-level basketball, but it's been a while since I touched competitive games against anyone since joining Army," he said.
"This competition really brought it back, especially against Air Force. The intensity was high and made it feel like I was playing reps again."
Navy played off against a mixed-service team for third place, with the sailors sinking their opponents to win 39-35.
Royal New Zealand Navy sailor Leading Seaman Dorrie Brennan, posted to Joint Electronic Warfare Operational Support Unit in Adelaide, helped Navy to the podium finish.
"I'm a netball girl, so I usually hang on the baseline, wait for the ball and then pop it up," she said.
"I was shattered by the end of it, but I shot a couple [of] threes, which was pretty sick."
Despite being the "token Kiwi", Leading Seaman Brennan said it was easy to gel with the rest of the Aussies.
"Most of the team was from my unit and we did a training session the week prior. I love doing triservice stuff and hanging out with everyone from the different services," she said.
"It was high vibes, good times and really good to meet heaps of new people from all over Adelaide."
The next ADF basketball competition will be the national tournament later this year.
