John Tran

Ryan Boehler, Olathe sophomore, shoots a free throw for his team, Good if it Goes, during an intramural basketball game Monday at the Student Recreation Fitness Center. Boehler’s team took on a team from Theta Chi and won 57-20

In the first intramural basketball game of the season, Good if it Goes was in midseason form as it trounced Theta Chi, 57-20, Monday night in the Student Recreation Fitness Center.

Good if it Goes took quality shots the whole game, shooting 45 percent from the field and 28 percent from three-point range.

On defense the team denied Theta Chi second-chance shots by dominating on the boards and not rushing its fast breaks.

The game opened slowly for the first 12 minutes. During the next 5, Good if it Goes scored 12 unanswered points, which propelled it to a 19-7 halftime lead.

The rally was punctuated by a long three-point shot from Zach Pope, Olathe sophomore.

Erik Gasparovich, Olathe sophomore, provided support on the other end of the court, bringing in rebounds.

Theta Chi tried to open the second-half strong with a three-pointer, which got its reserves onto their feet and cheering. A fumbled pass inside gave insight to Theta Chi’s defeat.

In the next 11 minutes Good if it Goes scored 18 points in a row and effectively ended any hope of a comeback for Theta Chi.

Good if it Goes involved everyone in the rally. The team had a 10-man roster, and substituted its whole lineup every 5 minutes throughout the game. Theta Chi had only eight men and switched out players as they became tired.

Theta Chi had worn out by the end of the game, allowing Good if it Goes to close out the game on a 12-2 run.

The final stat line for Theta Chi was not pretty, as the team shot better from behind the arc, 18 percent, than it did from the field, 13 percent. Of the team’s 49 shots, only seven of them fell.

Providing the ammunition on offense for Good if it Goes was Ryan Boehler, Olathe sophomore. Boehler, forward, consistently outmuscled his Theta Chi counterparts for baskets underneath the hoop.

“Our team doesn’t have any big muscular guys, so we have to win with speed,” he said.

The team, named after a phrase basketball announcers use, does not have practices but does play together often.

Many of the team members went to school together at Olathe East High School.

Others meet last year around the KU campus or from living in residence halls.

Boehler and Gasparovich both think the team has the ability to go undefeated in pool play, but note that the competition gets bigger and tougher during tournament time.

“We have good nights and we have bad nights,” Gasparovich said. “Tonight was a good night.”

Game notes

It was the first game of the season for both teams. Pool play consists of three games, which the teams will play during the next two weeks.

Referees were Josh Wicoff, Lenexa junior, and Brad Witherspoon, Humboldt freshman.