Monday, July 7th, 2008

Adverse Possessors claim victory against Showtime

Two teams battle it out in Allen Fieldhouse on Monday night

The two intramural teams faced off with high energy during the season's championship game.

By Whitney Hamilton (Contact)

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

With the spirit of Phog Allen in their presence, two teams fought for the intramural men’s basketball title on Monday night. The Adverse Possessors and Showtime battled it out in the championship and fought until the very last second in Allen Fieldhouse.

The hard work paid off for the Adverse Possessors as it clinched the title in a 55-45 victory. The stands were scattered with faithful supporters for both teams. They showed their spirit and incorporated some distractions just like at a packed Kansas men’s basketball game. Even Baby Jay made an appearance and clowned around with fans, while getting people pumped for the game.

The Adverse Possessors won the tip-off starting the game with high energy as both teams sped to the lane and tried to gain some points. At first, both teams had difficulty sinking a basket and the game seemed more like a tennis match as the ball went back and forth between both sides of the court.

“Some of the Allen Fieldhouse mystique got to us in the first half,” Jesse Temple, Overland Park graduate student and Adverse Possessors player, said. The tempo quickly changed as the Adverse Possessors made the first three-point shot of the night and fueled Showtime’s vengeance.

Showtime player Jarrett Austin, Brunswick, N. J., freshman, used the glass for two points. Adverse Possessors tried to gain a bigger lead by shooting more three-pointers from behind the arc, but ended up hitting the rim on a few shots. The Adverse Possessors found a break when Showtime’s player Brandon Uloho, Wichita senior, gained his first foul and gave Cameron Karlin, Lawrence graduate student, a chance for points. The game continued to get increasingly more intense as the fans in the stands started yelling “defense” and the players on the benches shouted to their teammates on the court.

Showtime’s Samuel Allen, Wichita graduate student, hit a perfect three-point shot from the wing making the Adverse Possessors only six points ahead. The Adverse Possessors gained possession of the ball and Temple fired a three-pointer from the wing in response to Allen.

In the seconds ticking from the first half, Adverse Possessors were still up by five. Showtime player Phillip Benibo, Lenexa senior, grabbed the ball and dribbled to the outside. With only 2.2 seconds left, he released the ball from behind the arc, but the ball hit the rim and bounced off as the buzzer sounded.

Showtime turned up the heat in the second half and players from the sidelines reminded teammates not to “let them set it up” referring to Adverse Possessors’ solid outside shooting.

Feeling the sense of urgency, Matthew Riley, Hutchinson graduate student and Adverse Possessors’ player, sped right through two Showtime players and shot at the baseline for a two-point bucket.

The intensity of the game was at its peak during the last two minutes of the game. Once Adverse Possessors had possession of the ball, Showtime’s defense stayed on its men and made it hard for the Adverse Possessors to move to its side of the court in time, resulting in loss of possession. Still, the clock on the scoreboard ticked away the seconds and Showtime couldn’t measure up to Adverse Possessors in its ten-point victory. Kevin Sterk, Chicago graduate student and Adverse Possessors’ player, thought his team played better in the second half resulting in the win.

“We slowed the ball down in the second half,” Sterk said. “In the first half, we seemed to be rushing.”

— Edited by Mandy Earles

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