Intramural basketball is a way for students at VHHS to play organized basketball for fun. All students are allowed to participate as long as you can gather a team that consists of up to sixteen players.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, teams play two games that last fifteen minutes each. Teams started playing their regular season games in November, each team played each other at least once during the regular season.
Students play intramurals for many different reasons; some play basketball to be with their friends, others play because they are very competitive and want to play at the Winter Assembly.
Brayden Glassman (12), a member of Fight Club, decided to play this year because it was something fun to do with his friends.
“I thought it would be a good way to grow with my friends and play sports that we all like,” Glassman said.
Julian Rodriquez (11), a member of Team LDE, decided to play this year because he wanted a competitive outlet.
“I decided to join intramurals because I thought it would be fun to dominate the competition and win every game,” Rodriquez said.
Adam Cahill (10), a member of Team Smith, wanted to be able to play recreational basketball with his friends.
“It’s not that serious of a basketball program and you can have fun with your friends,” Cahill said.
Christopher Elliott (12), a member of Team Smith, likes to be competitive and play against his friends.
“My favorite part of intramurals is getting to play against my friends, because it’s super competitive and we always beat them,” Elliott said.
Once the regular season concludes, the playoffs begin. The top four teams are granted a bye for the first round. This means that they automatically make it to the next round of playoffs.
This year’s top four teams were Fight Club, Team Alper, Team Rhythm, and Team Ice Spice Elite. The rest of the teams had to play elimination games to continue onto the next round. By the end of the first day of playoffs only six teams remained.
The following week was the final day of games. Team Rhythm and Team Ice Spice Elite won the quarterfinals, while Fight Club and Team Alper got a bye for the round.
During the semifinals two major upsets allowed Team Rhythm and Team Ice Spice Elite to advance to the championship.
As the players took their final shots in warm ups, the gym filled with tension between the teams. The clock was set for ten minutes. Team Ice Spice Elite and Team Rhythm were ready to face off.
When the first half started, the game was close and the stakes were high. Toward the end of the first half, Team Ice Spice Elite pulled away with a lead.
As the second half progressed, Team Rhythm tried to bring more life into the game, but it wasn’t enough. Team Ice Spice Elite made many threes to increase their lead.
Team Ice Spice Elite won 24-11 and became the intramural basketball champions.