By Jocelyn Sterling
There may have been fewer than 40 people at the Chiles Center on Wednesday, Feb. 25, but there were plenty of cheers, smiles and 3-pointers.
University of Portland's five on five intramural basketball teams, men's Division I and II and the women's lone division, played the championship games in the official gymnasium instead of Howard Hall.
Men's Division II, the less experienced and competitive of the two divisions, kicked off the night at 8 p.m. with a fast paced and high action first half between the Seattle Supersonics and Team Velociraptor. The teams maintained an even playing field, ending the first half 23-19 in favor of the Sonics.
The second half continued to entertain the small crowd but became increasingly more physical as the clock counted down the minutes in the close game. With merely two points separating the Sonics from the Raptors in the final minutes, the teams called several time outs and players lunged across the floor in hopes to catch the rebounded balls skipping across the hardwood. The Sonics ended up pulling out the win 41-35 in the final minute.
Senior Blake Holman of the Sonics was visibly "pumped" about the win, especially since it was his eighth final in the four years of his intramural basketball participation but only the first win. Holman wanted to leave UP with a coveted "Intramural Champion" shirt and was excited that he finally obtained one. He even grew his lucky mustache for the game, one in which his fiancé, senior Brittany Callahan, was very pleased about.
The Sonics were 3-3 going into the playoffs, but managed to win every game in the playoffs to make it to the Chiles Center for the final game.
"We shouldn't have even been here," Holman said. "We were the underdogs and I'm surprised we won."
"Dude, I'm so stoked," fellow player Joey Pegano, junior, interjected. "I'm not gonna lie, it felt good."
Holman and Pegano agreed that playing in Chiles made the win that much better. "It's more meaningful because it's in Chiles," Holman said. "Howard's a piece."
The women's championship followed at 9 p.m. between Team Dragon and the Shooting Pandas. Only a few points separated the teams in the first two minutes, but that point gap increasingly grew as the game continued.
The first half ended with the Pandas 10 points ahead, but both teams maintained light hearted attitudes, as players were laughing and joking around. The Pandas dominated rebounds and made several turnovers in the second half, which led to their ultimate victory in the end 52-29.
Junior Elysse Egerman of the Pandas shared her excitement about the win. Egerman and her teammates take the game very seriously, and they came out with a plan and executed it pretty well, she said.
It was an anxious triumph for Egerman and some of her fellow teammates because last year they made it to the finals but lost the championship game. This year's team is a combination of the two final teams in last year's championship, the Pandas and the Shooting Stars. The two teams decided to combine and made a super team, with a combination of their team names as well, who went undefeated all season.
There are eight seniors out of the 12 members of the team, and Egerman said that this win was for them, as it was their last chance for a T-shirt. Next year the Shooting Pandas will have to rebuild their team once more in hopes to dominate the competition in 2010.
The final game of the night was the men's Division I at 10 p.m., which brought in the most fans and loudest cheers. Team Blouses played Go Go Gadget Flow in a neck in neck first half. However, in the second half the Blouses maintained the major control over the game. The teams played physical, forcing the referees to call many fouls.
Go Go Gadget Flow's fans were outraged at some of the calls, and were verbally berating the referees. Unfortunately for such fans, the end of the game resulted in a 45-36 win for the Blouses, who were thrilled.
Gleaming from the win Blouses player, senior Steven Hallstone, said, "I feel like Stohl making it rain out there."
Seniors Kyle Hill, Shaun Flerchinger, Felix Hernandez, and Hallstone, of the Blouses, started the team their freshman year and have been the four players to continue it throughout their time at UP. Although these players are the "superstars" of intramural, playing every sport each semester besides golf, and winning about seven championships each year, this was their first win in Division I five on five basketball.
"After playing together for four years it's a nice way to end our college careers," Hill said.
Hallstone added, "Plus we like the other team, we're friends, so it made it fun."
Flerchinger said that the team compliments each other, which allowed for a good beginning of the second half which propelled them to the win. However, Hill disagreed, calling Flerchinger the team's "golden boy."
The night ended with a 3-point competition among the teams. Senior Jackie Maiers, of the Shooting Pandas, won for the women with 20 points. Senior Joe "Alaska" Moran, of the Blouses, won for the men with 30 points.
