Intramural basketball. IBA. It is known as the same in the gyms at HHS after hours. Taking the court after the Tiger high school teams, nine teams play each other in hopes and dreams of one thing — Winning the IBA Championship.
With the overall #1 seed in the tournament, the Teachers, as expected, stands atop all of the other teams. They have been the perennial powerhouse in the league for a number of years.
Three teams have given the teachers a run this year, but failed to knock them off. Team USA, The Tropics, and Victoria’s Secret were all top contenders for the championship this year. Team USA finished the regular season with one loss, coming to none other than the Teachers.
This year, IBA got the right, by CEO Mike Nicolarsen, to have the championship game in the South gym, with the bleachers pulled out for fans to come and view the action. The game will even have referees, something that has never happened in IBA history.
In the semifinals, the teachers played team Asian Invasion. The Teachers won soundly, and made it to the game they are familiar with. On the other side of the bracket, Team USA and the Tropics battled it out for a championship berth. To get to the semis, the Tropics had to knock off Victoria’s Secret. Team USA played the all senior girls’ team, the Cheetah Girls. A very physical game went down between Team USA and the Tropics, as expected. The final came to be 20-19, a one point victory for Team USA. The game ended just like the regular season game did, with a Team USA squeaker.
So there they were. The final game of the coveted IBA league. With #1 seeded Teachers versus #2 seed Team USA, the only two teams left standing. The championship looked to be a close fought game throughout. These teams played each other earlier in year, so both are very familiar with one another. Could Team USA revenge their two point loss earlier in the season to the people that put them through the stress of homework?
The game started, and the Teachers took off. Team USA took an 8-7 lead, which ended up being their only lead of the game, as the teachers controlled the majority. The Teachers were firing on all cylinders, with their outside shots dropping, and they were too strong on the interior with the height advantage.
Halftime started with the Teachers leading by 12. Team USA was struggling, shots weren’t falling, and a key member of the team was out with influenza. It looked as if the red, white, and blue’s luck ran out. The team decided they were going to go out in a special way.
After deciding that the Teachers were too much, Team USA made the decision to have more “fun” than trying to win a championship. The decision was simple, a team made up of nine players, seven of which were playing in their final IBA game of their Hastings High career. Though the final score ended with the Teachers score of over 70 and Team USA’s thirty-some, the memories are unforgettable.
Half court shots, alley-oop attempts, even trying to run a football play put smiles not only on the members of Team USA, but also on the students and fans in attendance, CEO Mike Nicolarsen, Director of Operations Mike Nanfito, and even on the foes, the Teachers.
Team USA did not complete the goal they set at the start of the year, which was beating the Teachers for the championship. A season full of smiles and laughs ended in an emphatic way. Their legacies will live on forever…
Long live the red, white, and blue!!
