On Thursday, March 2, the men’s intramural basketball championship was played between the final two teams: Tun-A-Sub, headed by captain Tanner Schouten, and Ellen’s Uncles with captain Kyle Christy. The former was able to edge out Ellen’s Uncles with a score of 45-37.
With the season beginning in late January, the playoffs began a little over a month later. Ellen’s Uncles entered the playoffs as the number one overall seed with a record of 5-0. Tun-A-Sub entered as the three seed with a 4-1 record. The two teams went on to defeat their respective sides of the bracket and met in the championship game.
Tun-A-Sub was able to pull off the upset, aided well by team member Jalyn Gramstad. Gramstad, who was also NW’s star quarterback on the national champion football team, said, “We had a great group that played hard and well together.”
With nine players on their team and all being from the football team, Tun-A-Sub had a great athletic advantage with lots of depth. This combination led them to victory in the championship game. “Winning it all was a lot of fun!” Gramstad said.
On the other side of the game was Ellen’s Uncles, who had had a phenomenal regular season going undefeated and having the highest point differential. Unfortunately, that undefeated streak came to an end, falling just short of victory in the final game. However, the team (made primarily up of North Suites guys) was still optimistic and proud of their game performance and overall season.
One of the players, Luke Haverdink, said, “The championship was super fun. There were plenty of people watching and the atmosphere was awesome. I thought my team could’ve played better in several aspects, but I still had a blast!”
Members of both teams clearly enjoyed the game and season, displaying their love for intramural basketball. Playing this enjoyable and entertaining sport provided Gramstad and his team with “a chance to compete in a sport we all used to play.”
Haverdink loved the season because, “Basketball is a great way to get to know people. It’s fun to go out and play games with guy I don’t get to talk to very often in my normal day.”
Both Haverdink and Gramstad mentioned the season being a great time. “The only thing that could have made it better would be more games in the regular season,” Haverdink mentioned.
With all the guys on the final two teams truly applying and engaging themselves into the sport, it made for a vibrant championship atmosphere. Despite Tun-A-Sub walking away with the title, the players could all agree that intramural basketball is more than just a game. It is simply a great time to find joy in bonding with others.
