Allies Win the Gold in Wheelchair Basketball Final at Pendleton

More than 150 Marines cheered their fellow warriors at the final qualifying round of wheelchair basketball for the Warrior Games at Camp Pendleton Thursday.

The gold-medal game pitted Allied Forces against West Coast Marines to see who would move on to represent the All-Marine team at the Warrior Games in Colorado.

The Allies team completed the tournament 4-0, defeating the West Coast Marines 25-24 to win the gold.

Wheelchair sports gained notoriety in the 2005 film Murderball.  The film highlighted how highly physical and competitive the world of wheelchair sports really is.  Almost every play has the potential for metal-on-bone collisions.

Other events in the Marine trial rounds included swimming, cycling, shooting, archery and track and field.  

“There’s something to do every point.  You lose an edge, make mistakes, other teams can capitalize,” said Chris Lowe, 27, who plays for the International Allies team, made up of wounded Marines from countries allied with the U.S.  

Travis Green and Ray Hennagar were identified as the top players on the undefeated Allies basketball team.

Green quickly deferred praise.

“Let me put it this way: Nothing happens without the ball going through my hands, but he’s [Ray] the best player,” Green said.

Not every team is lucky enough to be able to play for the chance to go to Colorado and compete in the Warrior games.

Layne Magnum, 50, head coach of the Veteran Marines team, didn’t win a match during the entire tournament.

“We were just overmatched in every game,” Magnum said who has been coaching wheelchair basketball for 15 years, “We were lost everywhere.”