Men’s Intramural Basketball: Playoffs and Championship Recap
In an exciting finish to the men’s intramural basketball season, the First Baptist Church Dandies came out champions.
The men’s intramural basketball league held its annual playoff season at the Baptist Healthplex the week of Feb. 19. This year’s playoffs held plenty of high-scoring, competitive matches.
The playoff opened with quarterfinals on Monday, Feb. 19. The top-seeded First Baptist Church Dandies took on Rotaract’s rookie squad as the night’s opening match. The Dandies performed exceptionally on offense, as they have all season. This earned them their first playoff win, 53-12.
Next, Blactose and Night Shift faced off in a well-contested match. Both of these teams played exceptionally during the regular season. In one of the closest quarterfinal matches, Blactose took the win 49-38.
For the third game, the Has-Beens took on the Kool-Aid Jammers. The division-leading Has-Beens were an unstoppable force during the regular season, with a 92-point difference between them and their opponents. The Has-Beens’ Monday night’s performance showed no signs of this stopping, as they took the win 64-43.
Finally, for Monday’s most hotly contested match, the OG Junkyard Dawgs played Civitan for the last match of the quarterfinals. Civitan held their own against the Dawgs, a team composed mostly of MC student-athletes. However, the club’s resilience throughout the match wasn’t enough for them to earn the upset. The OG Junkyard Dawgs took the last win on Monday night, 46-40.
The playoff semifinals took place on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Blactose took on the Dandies for the first match of the night. Although both teams played well offensively, the Dandies prevented it from being a close game. The Dandies secured their spot in the championship with the win, 60-39.
The last semifinal match pitted the OG Junkyard Dawgs against the dominant Has-Beens. Coming off a close game against Civitan, the Dawgs were looking for an upset to earn a spot in the championship against the Dandies. However, the Has-Beens had other plans: they earned the win through standout performances from Dawson Pike and Daniel Cooper, each making consistent plays on offense and defense. The Has-Beens earned the second spot in the championship, 59-53.
The Dandies and the Has-Beens, both dominating their respective divisions, were set to play in the final match of the season. Both teams were powerhouses during the regular season, boasting undefeated records and excellent offensive stats. However, only one could come away the winner. Although it was a close game at first, the Dandies built a near-insurmountable lead toward the championship game’s end. For the final match of the season, the Dandies came away the champions, 73-58.
IMLeagues reported season-end statistics for individual players for this year’s men’s league. The league leader in points was the Has-Beens’ Daniel Cooper, with 76 points on the season. Second in points scored was HM3’s Gregory Bryant II, with 64 points, and third was Civitan’s Ethan Cormier with 58 points.