The Bookstore Basketball finals were held Sunday at 8 p.m. and resulted with Finnigans ND squeezing out a win against the Holy Cross Seniors with a final score of 21-17.
The Finnigans team included sophomore Conor Colpoys, senior Colin Terndrup, junior Patrick Mazza, junior Brian Spahn and senior Tim Cole.
Freshman Rebecca Wiley was in the audience during the game and said she was not expecting it to be as suspenseful as it was.
“From my personal experience, when my Bookstore Basketball team had a game it was very relaxed,” Wiley said. “You could tell both teams were playing for something really big … so they put everything they had out there.”
Fans endured the nearly two-hour game despite the unusually cold weather for late April. Wiley said the high attendance by fans was indicative of the spirit of the tournament.
“You can tell the Bookstore Basketball means a lot to the Notre Dame community considering so many people came out to watch the game even though it was freezing,” Wiley said.
Members of both teams suffered minor injuries during the game, and at one point Colpoys was pulled out so that a cut on his knee could be bandaged, although he had barely noticed the cut amidst the excitement of the close game.
“It was very surprising how many injuries and blood there was,” Wiley said. “The play was very rough and it just showed how much both teams really wanted to win to represent their respective schools.”
Freshman Erin Callaghan said she was impressed by how both teams played, especially after experiencing the competitiveness of Bookstore Basketball with her own team.
“Their dedication was obvious,” Callaghan said. “The play was very organized and you could tell they put a lot of thought into their practices and communicating very well on the court.”
Callaghan said both teams’ dedication was the key element towards their advancing in the tournament.
“Aside from sheer basketball talent, I think that what helped bring both teams to the finals was cohesiveness as a team and a shared desire to win,” Callaghan said.
Wiley said she believes the key to making it to the finals is team enthusiasm for the game. She said her favorite part about this tournament is the humor the students brought to it.
“It’s been fun seeing people dress up and build humor and community through a sport,” Wiley said. "This game was a great finish to the tournament because it engaged a lot of the Notre Dame community and it was a game that kept everyone on the edge of their seats.”
