On Wednesday, Oct. 22, Loyola Intramurals held their basketball championship games in Reitz Arena for both their Co-Rec and Competitive Leagues. This tradition gives Loyola students the chance to play their final game with their friends on the same court that Loyola’s Division I basketball teams play on, and this semester’s ‘Champ Night’ was a fun night for many.
At 8 p.m., the first of the two games started between the teams 67ers and Green Bean for the Co-Rec championship. The latter of the two teams came out the gate with a quick lead in the first quarter until the former responded with their own baskets, leveling the score and taking a good lead of their own.
After another brief tie, the 67ers held a single-digit lead throughout most of the first half, with their largest lead being 10 points. Green Bean cut down this lead several times throughout. However, after Green Bean trimmed this lead to a one-score game on a few occasions, the 67ers responded each time, scoring and holding a decent lead throughout the rest of the game.
The 67ers continued to hold this lead throughout the second half, but the end of the game came down to the last minute. The leading team was up by a couple of scores with their friends cheering them on as Green Bean attempted to make a comeback, also were cheered on by their section.
The winner was decided on whether the leading team could make clutch free throws following intentional fouls, and if the trailing team could make enough threes over the last 30 seconds of the game in hopes of tying the score.
Both teams had great support from the crowd, but as the seconds ticked down, the 67ers held their lead and ultimately won the championship at a final score of 45-40. Team captain of the winning team Victoria Dovidio ’28 was ecstatic about her team’s championship win that day, stating how she and her friend group worked together and had fun to get the win. The group also discussed the high possibility of playing with each other again in the spring semester.
“I think we’re definitely going to [play together] again. We were just talking about that. We had a lot of fun,” Dovidio said.
Members of Green Bean also enjoyed the experience of playing at Reitz Arena. Nathan Kowal ’26 talked about how enjoyable it was playing in the game and getting a first-hand feel of the environment that some D-I Loyola athletes get to experience.
“It actually felt really cool to play where our players play and just to get a taste of that. We had a great crowd tonight. And just to get a taste of that in-game Reitz Arena experience was really awesome and really special,” Kowal said.
Kowal stated that a win would have been nice, but playing and laughing with his friends was just so much fun and that he would not trade it for the world.
At 9 p.m., the Co-Rec celebration wrapped up as the Competitive championship game got going. The two final teams in the Competitive league were the NPCs, who finished their regular season 8-0, and Showtime Unity, who finished with a regular season record of 6-2.
With great support from the crowd yet again for this game, the two teams fought well throughout the entire game, and the NPCs held a steady lead throughout the first few quarters. The game featured great ball movement, a handful of threes, and a lot of intensity on both ends.
During the fourth quarter, Showtime Unity made a good push at cutting the lead down to a couple of possessions and forced a timeout from their opponent, allowing both teams to discuss how to end the game in their favor. It was after that group huddle that the NPCs corralled the lead more heavily into their favor, making a final run to seal the game and ending the championship game with a 52-38 win.
Member of the winning team Chris Oswik ’26 talked about how his goal for intramural basketball is always to get to Reitz Arena. He was proud of his team’s physicality throughout the game, citing that as one of the keys for them winning the championship.
“I would say [the key] was being aggressive. We didn’t have a three in the first half, so I knew that we had the size advantage. So just getting to the rim as much as possible, crashing the rebounds, we were able to get a good leap from that. Then, from there we were able to work in some threes in the second half,” Oswik said.
Another member of the winning team, David DiDomenico ’26, stated how the team earned their win through crashing the glass and having fun together. He also knew what to expect in a game like this, having already played in a pair of intramural games at Reitz before.
“[The keys were] getting rebounds and having fun, that’s all it really was. I mean, we’re all shooters, we’re all dogs, undefeated champs, we’ve been here before. So, experience,” DiDomenico said.
Oswik and DiDomenico said with certainty that their team will be running it back in the spring semester, going for what would be their group’s third straight intramural championship by semester.
Intramural Basketball will return in the spring semester, and Champ Night at Reitz Arena will return alongside that. Loyola Intramurals continues to provide an outlet for all students to participate in a sport they love with the friends that they make along their college journey. This semester’s Champ Night created community and built bonds.
Check out the Intramurals Instagram here to learn more about how to get involved.
