By Tyler Poda/ reporter
Photos by Kaylee Jensen/The Collegian
The SE Campus kicked off its annual intramural basketball season Feb. 17 with four games and the Bulls, last year’s champions, walking away with two wins.
The first matchup of the day pinned the Scorpions against the Bulls, who jumped out to an early 10-0 lead behind some stellar three-point shooting. They managed to use excellent ball movement and high basketball IQ to ride that momentum all the way to a 32-16 halftime lead.
With great effort, the Scorpions managed to hang around and keep the game interesting but could not execute well enough to complete a comeback. They fell short to the Bulls with a final score of 52-43.
“I feel like we could have scored more points if we were better conditioned,” Bulls member James Scroggins said after the game. “Our goal was to score 100.”
This is Scroggins’ first year playing in the SE league, and he quickly pointed out his favorite part about playing in the league, “having fun and being competitive at the same time.”
Game two had the Leftovers facing B.I.G., a team with four students from the Arlington Collegiate High School located on campus.
Because they attend high school on a college campus, they cannot compete in high school athletics, SE intramural sports coordinator Shahzad Nazir said. This league provides a way for them to play at a competitive level.
The high schoolers showed no fear going head to head with their collegiate peers jumping out to a 35-16 halftime lead. The Leftovers attempted a plethora of threes to gain some ground but couldn’t mount a comeback as B.I.G. finished its wire-to-wire victory 54-29.
“We play with them every Friday, so we’re used to it,” high schooler Michael Barnes said about playing older teammates. “It’s just fun to come out here and compete against them.”
His buddy, Michael Olaide, agreed.
“It comes naturally,” he said. “We just do our thing.”
In the third game, the Thunder faced off against the Bulls in what proved to be the most competitive matchup of the afternoon.
Defensive intensity was high on both sides as evidenced in the low-scoring first half ending with the Bulls on top 19-15. The second half continued at a frenetic back-and-forth pace. In the closing minutes of the second half, the game was tied at 30. But, the Bulls managed to execute a few more key shots to hold the Thunder off for a final score of 38-35.
Spirits were high in the Bulls camp after the game, and rightfully so after jumping out to a 2-0 record to start the season. Some players could be overheard comparing themselves to the Golden State Warriors
“The BTA Bulls will win the championship,” the Bulls’ Adrian Morales said.
The Thunder had a chance to redeem itself in the fourth and final game of the day against the Leftovers. The game started off rather slow with a lot of sloppy turnovers and lackadaisical defensive effort. Both teams were clearly showing signs of fatigue.
The Leftovers found themselves with a 22-21 lead at half. The competitiveness ramped up in the second half. The Thunder began to pull away on the back of some impressive marksmanship from long range led by Abdul Kadi-Suldaan, who hit five three-pointers. The team managed to come out on top 49-38.
The season lasts six weeks culminating in the SE championship game March 10. The district championship will be held on NE Campus March 24.
“I really want these young men to learn how to function as a team and improve their basketball IQs,” Nazir said. “It will take their game to a level that athletic ability can’t.”
The league continues Feb. 24 with four more games. Tipoff for the first matchup begins at 1 p.m. in the SE gym.
