Bad weather? Big problem.
The contest that featured the brave souls of Sorry We Party and Chris Brown Beatdown was far from pretty.
When all was said and done and the snow had settled, Sorry We Party came away with a sloppy 21-15 victory over Beatdown, advancing to the next round in the Daniel Kish sectional.
With puddles covering much of the blacktop surface, neither team ever got into much of a rhythm.
"The puddles were terrible to dribble in," sophomore Dan Carter of Sorry We Party said. "It was nearly impossible to control the ball out there."
Long-range baskets were hard to come by in the windy conditions and each team struggled mightily on the offensive end.
"It was very tough to score," sophomore Austin Holler of Sorry We Party said. "The game was probably three times as long as it should have been."
Holler's size advantage was a clear factor in the game, which came down to who could get more inside looks in the paint. The 6-foot-5 center accounted for 12 points and a number of blocks and rebounds in the victory.
Sorry We Party will advance to the second round to play Glee Club on Thursday at 8 p.m.
"We're excited about moving in the next round," Holler added. "It feels good to finally get a Bookstore win under our belts."
Cleric in the Frontcourt 21, Biohazard, 1
Religion trumped science on the Sabbath as Cleric in the Front Court defeated Biohazard.
The five men of Cleric used their considerable size advantage to take a quick lead over Biohazard, which consisted of one freshman and four sophomore girls, all biology-related majors.
"The snowy conditions made it a rough game," Biohazard sophomore Katie Pietrucha said. "But at the end of the day there were certain biological differences between the teams."
At halftime, Cleric led 11-0.
Sophomore Grace Loppnow was able to put a point up for Biohazard in the second half, but the team never mounted a serious comeback.
Fr. Jim Gallagher of Cleric was quick to give the other team its due, however.
"I think faith is very important, but science is good too," Gallagher said.
His teammate, freshman captain Daniel "The Danimal" Duffey, was less reserved.
"This win conclusively proves that God created the earth in six days," he said.
Cleric in the Front Court will move on to the next round of the Father John Jenkins Sectional and will play Thursday at 5:00 p.m.
"I hope it's colder," freshman Matt "I own ya" Madonia said.
Not to be outdone, freshman Brendan "Big Dawg" Corsones also voiced a complaint about the weather.
"We couldn't wear our ice skates today," he said.
Benedunk's Army 21, Scott Milkenson has Diabetes 12
Sunday, Benedunk's Army defeated Scott Milkenson has Diabetes in a highly offensive game, allowing them to advance to the second round.
"Our opponents were pretty good at taking the outside shots," Army team member, Luke Kippenbrock said. "Their defense was also played well, making it difficult to dribble to the basket."
The center on Benedunk's Army had a major height advantage over the rest of the men and women on the court, which drastically helped out the team's offensive abilities.
"John Garro always stayed near the basket, collecting a lot of the loose balls that bounced out," Kippenbrock said.
The most challenging aspect of the game for both teams was dealing with the temperature and weather conditions that hindered effective offensive and defensive movements.
"The weather was horrible," Kippenbrock said. "The snow and the wind numbed my hands, and the standing water on the court made the ball difficult to dribble."
Able to rise above the weather conditions, Benedunk's Army will be making an appearance in the second round beginning Tuesday.
Snow Bank 21, Bad News Bears 18
Snow Bank of Keenan Hall defeated the Bad News Bears who hail from Saint Mary's College, 21-18 in what initially seemed like a blowout, but ended up closer than Snow Bank had assumed.
"We got out to a commanding lead but the girls tied it up 15-15 in what seemed like an instant," junior Snow Bank captain Timothy Treat said. "We held them off thanks to a remarkable defensive effort from Frank DiRocco down the stretch for a 21-18 victory."
Their comeback was likely due to the offensive success of Grace Sadowski.
Grace "da Ace" Sadowski made it rain from behind the arc," Bears teammate, Kristin Rhoa said. "Da Ace set the pace early by dropping three-pointers like LeBron James."
Towards the end of the game, team Snow Bank proceeded to adopt a new team strategy where they let each of the girls score a basket, but were still able to win in the end and move on to round two of the tournament.
Team chemistry was comparatively high for both teams Snow Bank and the Bears. Maria Chipman of the Bears credited the chemistry to a single theme developed throughout their short-lived time as a team.
"The common goal of domination," Chipman said. "It's just what we do."
