In their season debut, the Chi Alpha Pi Cavaliers defeated the Pi Kappa Sigma Cobras B team in an American League intramural men’s basketball matchup.
The Cavs’ 36-27 win gives them a 1-0 record while the Cobras B team falls to 0-2.
Early in the first half, both teams looked to set the tone by pushing the ball up the court in transition as each team drained three-point field goals in the first minute of play.
The Cobras took an early 11-6 lead behind a three-pointer from Cody Tart. The Cavs quickly retaliated as Will Kendall assisted freshman Blake Felber for an easy layup.
Graham Parker of the Cavs played well on the defensive glass, pulling down several rebounds, but the Cobras’ Chris Check kept the game close by hitting a short jump shot.
Right before the half, the Cavs’ Andrew Lehman drained a three-pointer for a 21-18 halftime advantage.
“We had new freshman that really stepped up big, and put in good minutes,” Parker said. “We have a lot of guys who come in with high basketball IQ, and they know what they’re doing. It is hard work, and we have to put in a lot of effort.”
The Cobras came out aggressively in the second half, but were met by the Cavs’ strong defense.
The Cavs soon took over with an explosive offense that took off when Felber completed a nice pass to Joel Bauman for an easy layup.
Brendan Cathers tried to keep the Cobras alive as he hit a three-point shot, but the Cavs showed great defense throughout the whole game, holding the Cobras at bay.
The Cavs’ defense held firm late in the game, and they came away with a 36-27 victory for their first win of the year.
“It is a lot of fun to play with these guys,” Felber said. “I thought we worked well together as a team.”
“We played great defense, and at times we played well on offense,” the Cobras B coach Andrew Rysta said. “We need to work on a 2-3 zone, which is not difficult.”
The intramural season has just barely started, but it won’t take long for the championship contenders to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in an already crowded American League.
