By: Brett Baligad, Senior Editor

During Winter Homecoming week, the Braves hosted their second annual Intramural Basketball Tournament. The finals took place last Friday in St. John Bosco’s Thunderdome during the Winter Sports Rally.

Basketball is in full swing on St. John Bosco’s campus. Despite the excitement surrounding the Braves’ varsity basketball team’s eight-game winning streak, it seems that Bosco’s second annual intramural basketball tournament has garnered the focus of the entire student body, who were fixated about who would come out on top. Founded in 2022 as the proverbial successor to “Bosco NBA,” the inaugural tournament featured the teachers, “The L.B. Dawgs,” winning it all, as they knocked off “Wavy Navy” in the finals.

In order to join, teams registered their three person roster, an alternate and a team name. From there, the bracket and game schedule were created. Executive Board Co-President Tyler Baligad was a major contributor to organizing the rosters.

“I know the student body really well and I wanted to make sure there were exciting first round matchups. By doing so, it would attract a lot of viewership over the two weeks, and I believe that was achieved. I also [felt] like we [had] a pretty solid group of teams heading into the Final Four,” Tyler said.

The tournament has taken place over two weeks leading up to the finals this Friday. With four rounds, the finals will take place in front of the student body at the Winter Sports Rally. The games are single elimination with all baskets being worth one point up until the finals where three pointers are awarded two points. Lastly, games are played with a fifteen minute game clock.

The Final Four teams included “Chadwell (Linda),” “Top 2 Not 2,” “Fantastic 3” and “The Teachers.”

“There have been a lot of close matchups and upsets coming into the final days of the tournament,” Tyler said. “Gutta Ave. vs. Teachers was decided by a buzz beater.”

Chadwell (Linda), an all senior team, included Joaquin Ramirez, Anthony Rodriguez and Lanson DeGuia. Formerly known as “Smoothmobile,” the team entered in the inaugural tournament last year and made it to the Elite 8. Coached by varsity basketball senior Victor “Smooth” Murillo, Chadwell (Linda) lived and died shooting from behind the arc. Even with their relative lack in size going into the Final Four, the senior squad put on a show.

“I’m really excited that we went to the Final Four,” said senior Anthony Rodriguez of Chadwell (Linda). “My team was in the tournament last year, and I am happy we came back for another run.”

Top 2 Not 2 was another upperclassmen team in the Final Four. Featuring Bosco Football varsity quarterback Caleb Sanchez, as well as Dillon Rickenbacker and Jack Nyman, size was a huge advantage for the squad. Top 2 Not 2 came in hot with an impressive victory over “Only Wins” and would defeat Chadwell (Linda) in the Final Four on Thursday.

The Teachers, the third team in the Final Four, went on a notable but heartbreaking run. Coming into the tournament as the reigning champions, the Teachers had a lot of pressure to go back-to-back. The squad featured Dean of Students Mr. Jon-Paul Masciel, Entrepreneurship Pathway Coordinator Mr. Shane Beatty and Religion Teacher Mr. Juan-Pedro Garcia-Esparza.

The Teachers were battle tested coming into the Final Four after defeating the notorious “Gutta Ave.” with a buzzer beater on Wednesday. Unfortunately, they fell short to the red hot Fantastic 3 in the Final Four, which some attributed to the injury Mr. Masciel sustained in Wednesday’s game against Gutta Ave.

The Fantastic 3 was the final team that was in the Final Four. The team was not one to take lightly, as they produced convincing wins against the “Chess Club” and the “Robotic’s Drive Team” coming into the semifinals. Fronted by juniors Will Mckissick, Corey McFarland and Xzavion Elder, The Fantastic 3 went on a deep run, but ultimately they fell short in the finals against Top 2 Not 2 after defeating the Teachers in the Final Four on Thursday.

Friday’s game did not disappoint. With a dominating interior performance by Caleb Sanchez and Top 2 Not 2, they routed The Fantastic 3. With a 15-8 victory for the squad, Dillon Rickenbacker felt that the tournament was “too easy for him.”

With plenty of action and highlights, the Oratory’s playground was in full effect with the competitive spirit of the tournament bringing the Brave community together.