Winter means basketball season. The anticipation during every game, heated competition, and rivalry are all things that students look forward to during the cold, depressing winter months. Basketball–whether it’s high school, NCAA, NBA, or Church League–becomes the talk of the sports world. 

Church League basketball is recreational basketball organized by churches and parishes nearby, Mason Clark ‘27 said. Most of the teams students play on are for St. John of the Cross, St. Cletus, and St. Francis. There are two age groups that play. One group includes juniors and seniors, and the other is made up of freshmen and sophomores. 

“It’s a great way to be able to play a sport that I love while also playing my main sport [hockey] because the schedule is very flexible,” Colin Martens ‘27 said. 

Every Saturday night, the teams come together and play their games, Josie Akalaitis ‘27 said. Along with their games, they also have practice every Tuesday night up until their season ends at the end of February after playoffs.  

“Our practices are pretty intense,” Akalaitis said. “We run a lot for conditioning, we do some drills, and then usually finish off with a scrimmage. Our main focus so far has been to improve our defensive skills and shooting, so our drills include a lot of those skills.”

This is Akalaitis’s second year playing Church League, and she joined because she wanted to play basketball while also being able to continue with her club lacrosse. The league allowed her to play something she had a lot of fun doing and still be able to continue with her other sports. They only have practice once a week, leaving time for other sports. 

“Some do Church League to play basketball, but a lot of us just do it because it is so much fun, and we always have a great time,” Gabi Gehrisch ‘27 said. “Church League is really unique and it’s pretty rare to find another experience like it. Being able to play with all your friends on one team is really different from any other sports teams.”  

Church League basketball combines the competitiveness of basketball with a team full of friends, Martens said. 

“I love being able to spend time with my friends while being on a team with them,” Martens said. “It’s pretty rare to be able to do this, and that’s why I love Church League, because it makes it possible.”

As much fun as the games are, they are still highly competitive, Martens said. Every game is pretty difficult, but the boys team is trying their best to eventually qualify for finals. 

“So far, we don’t know what the end of the season will look like and who will move on, but we are hoping to make it as far as we can and even to the playoffs,” Martens said. 

To prepare for playoffs, the boys team works really hard at practice, Clark said. They scrimmage, do a mix of different skill drills, and a lot of running on a usual day of practice. 

“I love being on a team with my friends,” Clark said. “Its been great so far, and I just hope we can continue to play our best for the rest of the season.”