The MFJS Reporter — Winter 2020 T-R

The game took place on the basketball courts underneath the university’s fitness center in the Hamilton Gymnasium. Each player walked into the facility bundled in coats, scarves, and sweaters… the temperature outside was an icy 15 degrees. The game started at 9:30 P.M., far past dinner time, yet the night was still young. Team Beta Theta Pi wore gray pennies resembling a cloud’s pastel, while Sierra Canyon wore crimson pennies, the focus of DU’s widely used color scheme. 

Each player was intensely focused, listening to various forms of music to prepare them for the game ahead. Both teams had played one game in the season so far, and both remained undefeated (1-0). Each team member was highly concentrated, running through various formations, fiercely practicing for the match ahead. 

“Every game is very important,” said Matt Clinton, a shooting guard for team Beta Theta Pi. “There are only four games in the regular season, so it is crucial we do well tonight to secure a playoff spot. We must play good defense, good offense, we have to be on our game tonight.” 

There are two halves played in the game, each half being 20 minutes long. Team Beta Theta Pi flew to an early lead, being up by 10 points within the first 10 minutes of the first half. Beta Theta Pi was hitting non-stop mid-range shots, whether wide open or defended heavily. Sophomore’s Elliot Dineen and Kyle Waggoner were on fire, scoring the majority of their points throughout the first half. 

As the first half winded down, team Beta Theta Pi remained in the lead, 23-15. When the ref sharply blew his whistle announcing the end of the first half, each player on Beta Theta Pi exhaustedly returned to the bench, highly fatigued.  

However, on the other bench, Sierra Canyon didn’t seem so worn out. Sierra Canyon’s shooting guard, Eddie Soper, hadn’t given up, he was confident in his team and their ability to come back and score. 

“We’re just getting started,” said Soper. “We got a feel for the game and now we’re ready. We now know how they play, and we can adjust. We’ve still got stamina.” 

The buzzer blared as it intensely vibrated the two teams’ benches.  The second half was just about to start. Each team hopped swiftly off the benches; huddles were formed. There were pep-talks voiced within each team and there was loud clapping, the motivation was clear. It was as if the only thing missing was a determined soundtrack playing in the background. 

Out of the gates of the second and final half, Sierra Canyon started to soar. They were crashing the boards, securing every rebound they could. Their two tallest players, Ted Rollins and Joe Rose were playing lockdown defense, not allowing the ball to get by them. On the front end, Soper was a force from the three-point line as he hit four of them back to back. 

With five minutes remaining in the game, the score of the game was 28 to 27 with Beta Theta Pi ahead. Team Sierra Canyon had astoundingly fought back, it was their possession. Their shooting guard, Soper, without any fear, drove powerfully, straight into the paint, drawing a shooting foul. As he approached the free throw line, the pressure seemed to have sunk in as he missed his first free throw. However, he composed himself and sunk the next one right into the net, tying up the game at 28. 

The next few minutes were neck and neck, no team was scoring, each team was playing relentless defense. With 20 seconds left in the game, Beta Theta Pi slowly brought the ball up the court for a last possession. With seven seconds left in the game, team center Kyle Waggoner caught the ball down low, facilitated a spin move, and gracefully hit a layup. Beta Theta Pi’s bench players all stood up, chanting, cheering, fired up. 

With little time to score, Sierra Canyon was worried. They threw the ball in bounds, chucked it just a bit too high towards their shooting guard, flying out of bounds, securing Beta Theta Pi’s victory. 

After the game, Beta Theta Pi’s Waggoner had a lot to say about the game, and what to do forward. 

“We almost let them beat us,” Waggoner said. “We thought we had the game locked in our palms, yet they came back hard. This just shows we can’t lose focus or get too confident because you never know how the game will turn out.” 

Beta Theta Pi remains undefeated, while Sierra Canyon’s record dropped to 1-1. Beta Theta Pi is set to play against another undefeated team, the Back-Court Violators, while Sierra Canyon is set to play against the winless team, ZBT, next Tuesday night.