Photo by Lance Cpl. Lucas G. Lowe Claude Louis, on offense for Training andEducation Command, scores against a defender with Marine Helicopter Squadron 1 on Friday at Barber Physical Activity Center.

Both teams started strong in the first half. TECOM’s stalwart defense pitted against HMX-1’s ballistic offense, the scoreboard stayed well-lit as the half waned.

‘‘We played as a team and kept on our feet,” said Everett L. Wilson, the TECOM point guard and team captain. ‘‘They had a couple of really good guards who kept us working hard.”

Friday night’s game was originally scheduled for early-January. But the myriad of snowstorms Quantico received since then put the game on indefinite hold. This slight nuisance gave both teams the opportunity to practice for theanticipated matchup.

‘‘It was good, because we got the chance to get together for a few more practice sessions,” said Wilson.

And the extra practice time helped. When HMX-1 trailed by a scarce five points, 43–38, with less than seven minutes left in the game, TECOM staved the squadron off long enough to pull ahead by 15 points, ending the game 57–42.

‘‘We missed the playoffs, because we didn’t have a good enough record,” said Wilson.

TECOM’s final record for the 2009–2010 season is 2–9. Wilson said he is glad to end the season on a high note.

‘‘Next year we plan to come out a lot better,” he said. ‘‘We’re going to have plenty of practice sessions pre-season where we can learn everybody’s game.”

— Correspondent: lucas.lowe@usmc.mil