While the official basketball programs for Winona State University have started their official season, McCown Gymnasium also hosts the competitive games of intramural basketball for students. Every Monday starting at 7 pm, teams come together to compete against each other. In these competitions, students can work on their skills for a game as well as remain active during their scholastic journey. With weeks of competing against one another, it’s time for the semifinals to see who can compete for the intramural championship.
Nash Hutton, a third-year student for Winona State, talked about the positives of intramural basketball.
“Yes, it’s really competitive. People treat it like it’s the NBA, but it gets you experienced, and it gets you to meet new people and meet new friends and just get yourself out there”
Competition brings the energy and entertainment in sports. Any good game of basketball starts with athletes willing to take the energy to the next level. Many players for both sides showed their competitive spirit. Leaping for rebounds, diving for loose balls and digging in on defense pushed each team on the court to the very last tick of the time. Both semifinal matchups pushed past any amateur basketball game. With the high skates of a championship birth on the line, players also bring a lot of emotion with each possession.
While competing against fellow classmates can be considered a casual activity to some, the emotion that comes out with every big moment represents moments that even professional sports struggle to obtain. For example, the opening match of the semifinals saw two teams go to war for both halves. Every defensive stop, fastbreak score and big moment shot generated roars inside McCown. The most impressive part of the opening game was the fact that it continued after the buzzer.
Ryan Glenn, a third-year student, noted the competition while watching the first semifinal matchup.
“I mean, we’re watching a game right now. These guys are getting fired up if the ref makes a call or not, and it’s fun because in so many you don’t get so many chances to play competitive sports all the time”
With overtime periods, all the emotion of competition leaps to another level. A triple overtime contest cranked up the tension of going to the intramural championship. Each extra period drew closer to finishing the matchup. Both teams exhausted every single possession to reach the goal of finishing the job. Sometimes, it takes heroics of a game-winning shot to achieve victory. A deep three off an offensive rebound to beat the buzzer to be specific. This win sends one team to the next stage, and another home. That is just a small sample of what intramural sports can give for Winona State students.
Carter Hahn, a second-year student who hit five threes in the overtime classic, spoke about the competitive nature of both teams.
“It was a ton of fun. I mean, it stays competitive. I mean, people may joke about intramural being a joke, but like, he’s got a lot of guys that love hooping.”
While the other semifinal matchup did not carry as much drama as the first, the competition remained. Digging in on the defensive sides of the ball, it takes tough players who can make some tough baskets. These athletes grow their game in this environment, but it was a showcase to be held for spectators interested in seeing what highly competitive sport can generate from all parties involved.
