Central Oregon Community College’s intramural basketball league brought fights and Halloween costumes to the court for midseason action. The playoffs begin Nov. 28, but only the four teams with the best records will be hooping after the regular season ends.
Week four tipped off with Ankle Breakers Anonymous (ABA) and the Cross Roads, with ABA coming out on top 42-38 and advancing to 2-2 on the season, while the Cross Roads fell to 1-3. That was the only game of the night decided by fewer than 11 points.
Following the opening game, the Bucket Getters handled FA2 62-51, which put the Bucket Getters at 3-1.
The Free Agents split their previous two matchups, losing by 6 and winning by 1 before their 57-46 week four loss to the undefeated team Couch dropped them down to 2-2 on the season. The Blockers closed week four action with a 41-30 win over Hoop Mixtape, giving the Blockers their first win of the season while Hoop Mixtape joined them at 1-3.
As week five rolled around, just over a month was left until the championship game, and teams at the bottom of the standings would have to make a final push for an opportunity to play beyond the regular season. The Bucket Getters opened week five with a 65-52 win over the Free Agents, advancing to 4-1 while the Free Agents dropped to 2-3.
ABA would advance to 3-2 with a win by forfeit over Hoop Mixtape, who dropped to 1-4. The Blockers and the Cross Roads had the most eventful game of the night, with the two teams trading blows through the first 30 minutes before a fight broke out that led to the ejection of Blockers starting forward Josh Davis. The Blockers rallied from the loss of their teammate, making clutch baskets to seal a 60-50 victory and win their second straight following an 0-3 start. Team Couch ended the night’s games with another dominant win, advancing to 5-0 after a 67-42 win over FA2.
Halloween night took some players out of the action, as two teams – the Cross Roads and the Free Agents – forfeited due to lack of players. Hoop Mixtape and FA2 collected their free wins, advancing to 2-4 and 3-3 respectively. Team Couch was on the ropes early against the Blockers, trailing by double digits in the first 10 minutes. However, team Couch seized the momentum and never gave it back, burying the Blockers with a flurry of dunks and fast break points in a 81-47 win that featured a team Couch player playing in a Scooby-Doo outfit.
Team Couch advanced to 6-0 on the season, with the only one of those games being within 10 points. That game was against the defending champion Bucket Getters, who closed Halloween action with a 66-30 win over ABA.
Nov. 7 will be the seventh week of the season, with only three more weeks until the Nov. 28 championship showdown. The Cross Roads (1-5), sit alone at the bottom of the standings and are running out of time to save their season. The Bucket Getters (5-1) are defending champions and winners of 4 straight, but the favorite at the moment is the only team that’s been able to top them, team Couch (6-0). Teams near the bottom of the standings such as the Blockers (2-4), Hoop Mixtape (2-4), the Free Agents (2-4), ABA (3-3), and FA2 (3-3), will all be contending for the last two playoff spots.
Chase Brostek
Editor
