Dope Boys finish on top

By Jay January/reporter

Team wins second intramural basketball championship

The Dope Boys defeated the TCC Underdogs in a close 56-53 game to win SE Campus’ intramural 5-on-5 basketball tournament Oct. 19. 

“We just have to stop their top shooters,” said SE student and TCC Underdogs player Cleonis Brice, who was one of his team’s leading scorers. 

SE student Nebo Akpom was one of a group of people who showed up to watch the student-athletes put on an entertaining and competitive show. 

SE student and Buckets 2.0 member Brandon Dixon guards a TCC Underdogs player during the championship.
Photo by Jay January/The Collegian
SE student and Buckets 2.0 member Brandon Dixon guards a TCC Underdogs player during the championship.

“I came to watch a good game,” Akpom said. 

Competition between the Dope Boys and TCC Underdogs spilled over from two years ago, Akpom said. 

He said he had friends on both teams and knew that any team could win. The Dope Boys won the 2016 SE Campus intramural basketball championship. 

TCC Underdogs said they knew it would be a tough game but had a plan.  

“We started off with just four players,” SE student and Dope Boys player Jaqrise Brown said.

SE student Cecil Roberts of Buckets 2.0 goes for a layup against TCC Underdogs in the semifinals.
Photo by Jay January/The Collegian
SE student Cecil Roberts of Buckets 2.0 goes for a layup against TCC Underdogs in the semifinals.

Yet they still won their first game with only four players. But then after that, they got their fifth man. 

“I didn’t have any points, but my rebounds were up there,” said Nikolas Bailey, the fifth player to join the Dope Boys.

A TCC Underdogs player fouled out with under a minute left in the game. 

The Dope Boys took advantage of the Underdogs being down a player taking the lead and securing the win to make them champs again.