March Madness!

Written by: Kayla Strike, Ava Puhlmann, Jessica DeMelo, Rachel Davies, and Emily Morano

Photos by: Lizzie Sheehan

Contributors: Serena Chaudhary and Kasey Ottewill

On March 31, 2022, T.A. Blakelock's athletic and student council teamed up to create a March Madness Bracket that was influenced by the NCAA's Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, a yearly celebration that has about 68 College basketball teams in the United States competing for the championship.

Students created their own teams with an entry fee of one dollar. The final game was between the Big Bucket Lads and Ballmart. Big Bucket Lads were composed of five players: Austin Caesar, Shahed Siam, Tyler Nolet, Justin Salamba and Nathan Tsoi. The opposing team known as Ballmart consisted of three players, with the fourth absent: Luca Chourbagi, Zane Rosen, Brent Morris, and Alexander Thomas.

Once the Big Bucket Lads had begun to achieve momentum, very little could get in their way. Shahed started off by scoring his team their first point, throwing the stands into an enthusiastic fit. With no subs, Ballmart was beginning to tire, yet Big Bucket Lads were still as energetic—possibly even more. They began to come back from their losing streak, only to be interrupted by the end of the first period. The score represented Big Bucket Lads with ten points and Ballmart with twenty-one. 

During halftime, Big Bucket Lads attempted to regroup. One player recounted the moments during a post-game interview; Big Bucket Lads talked about things they had to work on and get better at. In terms of improvements that could be made, Justin said that his team could make a few more shots.

Despite all of the energy displayed by the teams in the first period, nothing could compare to the atmosphere in the second half. It started with the teams rooted against each other. Luca scored the first points of the second half with a swift dunk, using his height as an advantage. Ty dropped to the ground and started his push-ups to show Ballmart that the Big Bucket Lads weren’t ready to give up yet. With tension high, the players became more aggressive. Fouls were called, excessive grabbing was displayed, and pushing was becoming more apparent. In the end, Ballmart was able to seal the win after the near comeback by Big Bucket Lads. 

Overall, this game set off the crowd and most definitely set off a new TAB tradition. Congratulations to both teams for pushing themselves to the March Madness finals!