The Scrubs dueled it out with the Polos in an exhausting intramural basketball game, winning 67-42 and ending regular season play on NE Campus last week.

    Both teams held a 3-0 record over the other three teams.

    Patrick Elusa of Game Over provided his insight on the game’s turnout before it even began.

    “The Scrubs are going to win. They’ve got the all-around good team, but it will be close because Polo has the experience,” he said.
    The Polos, coached by Alton Evans, had the lower end of the deal. One of their best players, Lynn Wes, could not play, and their team had to deal with the Scrubs’ player and coach, Jayson Smith.
The first half went by at a slow pace because of many fouls. Several times players were knocked to the ground by attempted dunks.

    Half-time came with the Scrubs leading the Polos 31-15. The Polos were getting “killed” on the court by dozens of fast breaks that set them behind.

    Amos McCluney, #18 of the Polos, said, “We’ve got a good team! We just need to take some time on our lay-ups and play better ‘d.’”

    Kahlil Rounds of the Scrubs predicted his team’s performance at the play-offs.

    “I think we’re goin’ all the way! From how we’ve been playing, there’s nobody gonna stop us!”

    The second half started quickly. Great teamwork was shown on both sides as the Polos came in to steal two dunks and dozens of lay-ups, but the Scrubs responded with return plays that initiated greater speed.

    Together, they moved back and forth on the court as each side fought for possession of the ball.

    The outcome proved the Scrubs the better team as the Polos fought for the lead but failed, losing by a significant amount. The Scrubs held onto their undefeated record at 4-0. —MN

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Playoffs began last week in intramural basketball on NE Campus with the Kinfolk taking Game Over 48-43 in a rough and physical game.

In the first half, the teams committed 18 fouls, 13 by the rough-playing, trash-talking Kinfolk.

Game Over came out strong with good defense against a team that had some talented shooters. Kinfolk got ahead by six points in the first half. Game Over was able to manipulate the game to its favor and keep the game tied 22-22 at half time. Kinfolk seemed to be more interested in getting good stats than winning.

The primary cause of the Kinfolk's many fouls was its bad defense. Game Over had ample opportunity to win this game, but poor shots and missed lay-ups hurt. The Kinfolk were up by as much as nine points in the second half.

The Kinfolk continued to show its lack of respect for the other team with constant trash talk.

One spectator said he was tired of the constant bad language and poor attitude of the team.
In the second half the fouling continued with a game total of 36.

Marty Martin, referee and intramural director, said, “This is the roughest game of the season.”

After the game, Chris McKenzie of Game Over said, “Playing in the league taught me a valuable lesson about working together, knowing your role and putting all your effort toward a common goal. I will definitely remember this experience forever.”

Phillip Paraway proved he was a true leader for Game Over by leading with 10 points and countless defensive stops.

The Kinfolk move on to play the Scrubs in the second round of the playoffs. Only a few games remain before the championship game. The Kinfolk will have their hands full when they take on the undefeated Scrubs. —NN

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The Polos and the Shooters played for a berth in the championship game last Friday in intramural basketball on NE Campus .

A dramatic buzzer beating three-pointer allowed the Shooters to win 54-51.

Throughout much of the first half, the Polos dominated thanks to Nick Martin, who had 13 points in the first half.

Toward the end of the first half, tensions were high on both teams.

The Shooters were concerned about calls that were made and some that were not. One of the Shooters was given a technical foul because of his protesting, but in the first half, the Shooters were down only 21-18.

The second half started fast for the Polos, who added to their lead with ease because of the play of Buddy Saggs, who had 16 points in the second half. The Polos built its lead to 10 with about 10 minutes left in the game.

After a timeout, the Shooters were making good passes, taking good shots and playing well together as a team. The Polos saw its lead dwindle.

The Shooters took the ball and tried to secure the win, but they turned the ball over and enabled the Polos to tie the game with four seconds remaining in the game.

The Shooters took a time out to come up with a plan for a quick shot. Donovan Blackshear took the ball, ran quickly down just beyond the half-court line and threw up a prayer. The ball dropped through the net as the buzzer sounded.

The Shooters team poured onto the court in celebration of their great and exhausting victory. The Polos showed disappointment and frustration after the game and a glimpse of poor sportsmanship.
With the victory, the Shooters will advance to the championship game to take on the winner of the Scrubs/Kinfolk game. Brandon Muise led both teams in scoring with 19 points. Nick Martin led the Polos with 17 points.

The championship game is today at 2 p.m. —NN