Intramural basketball playoffs tip off
- The Spartans are returning champions from the fall season and are confident in their chances, but still keep a business-like approach.
- Drew Meadors had 19 points for the Spartans.
Photo by Matt Bishop
The Spartans’ Matt Lohn (left) prepares to take the opening tip from teammate Drew Meadors (middle) going against Go Home Now’s Cory Martin (right) in the Spartans’ 91-56 win over Go Home Now in the first round.
By Matt Bishop, Staff Writer
The Spartans sent home Go Home Now with a 91-56 win to kick-start their run through the Intramural Basketball tournament March 7.
The Spartans are returning champions from the fall season and are confident in their chances, but still keep a business-like approach.
”I know we are getting to win the title,” said Ty Ludvicek, who led the team with 29 points.
“We have a double-header next week where we can prove we were under-seeded and we can avenge our only loss.”
Drew Meadors had 19 points for the Spartans. “One-hundred percent, we will make the championship,” he said.
Jeff Brewer had 13 points and 10 assists against Go Home Now. He said he will get at least 10 more “dimes” in the next game.
Matt Lohn, who scored 26 points, said a key to the Spartans’ success was maintaining focus.
“We were playing smart, taking good shots,” he said. “[In the second half] we didn’t want to become lackadaisical, so it was tough to keep playing hard. We will be ready for next week.”
The relaxed attitude Lohn was referring to may have been due to the 77-38 lead the Spartans held with 6 minutes left in the game.
That lead came after a 26-4 run the Spartans had during a nine-minute period.
Through the first half, open backdoor buckets allowed the Spartans to gain momentum.
It was apparent the Spartans would own the game by halftime, leading 33-24.
Blocks, boards and back-to-back buckets opened the huge gap in the second half as the game became more like a Harlem Globetrotters show.
The Spartans will face the White Outs in the semi-finals, led by Josh Vanover, who had 22 points in his team’s win against the Mixed Powers 76-59.
Both teams finished the regular season 3-1. Although the Spartans won the head-to-head match-up, the White Outs got the higher seed due to point differential.
In other action, Ice Cream advanced to the semi-finals with a 55-54 win over the Geek Squad. Down by 2 points, Tu Nguyen nailed a 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds left. The Geek Squad went down the floor and launched a shot as the buzzer sounded that missed, saving Ice Cream from their third last-second loss of the season.
Zilla gave a resilient effort against top-seeded Hustlas, but came up short 71-63 as Bradley Cosby hit late free-throws down the stretch to cap off another win.
The intramural season will conclude on Friday, March 14, with the semi-final round starting at 1 p.m. and the Championship at 2 p.m.
Staff Writer Matt Bishop can be reached at SeniorWriter@occc.edu.
