Pictured Young Guns. Wildcats.Grey Ghosts. Photos by Mel Ferrand
Windy City Athletic Association ( WCAA ) hosted its Women's Basketball League championships and similar to the NCAA finals there were plenty of upsets along the way.
Of 18 teams only eight made it to the playoffs ( four in each of two divisions ) . However, this year even before the first tournament tip-off, two teams in the recreational division ( B ) had to fight it out for the fourth-place slot. Newcomers Grey Ghosts fought a hard-won game against the established Spin II team, barely defeating them 36-32. With scarcely enough time to catch their breath, the Grey Ghosts had to take on No. 1 seed and last year's champs, Shirts Illustrated Reloaded immediately after the qualifier. In addition to that, SI Reloaded entered the tournament semi-finals with merely one loss during the regular season, poised to repeat last year's division win. However, at the last buzzer, Reloaded stood dazed as Grey Ghost marched on into the championship game. Grey Ghost had defeated the No. 1 team with a larger margin than in their qualifying match-up: final score 33-27. Meanwhile, the Wildcats were on the prowl and building their own momentum by earning their spot in the championship game by defeating perennial champs Condie Management.
Ultimately three was not a magic number for league underdogs, Grey Ghosts. They fell in the championship game which went to two-year-old team Wildcats 36-22. The Ghosts held their own and never gave up, but the Wildcats were able to pounce easily when the Ghosts had lost their energy and momentum. Formed from a hodge-podge of women that met during the pre-season open gym, the Grey Ghosts proved that they had more than beginners luck and that starting this year the teams in the league are on notice that grey is golden.
The competitive division ( A ) followed a more traditional course and the championship game was played between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeded teams. Young Guns and Charlie's ( Ale House ) ended the season with an equal number of wins and the final game could have gone either way. However, Young Guns, the team that took second place last year, seemed slightly more determined than their opponents to stand as division champs in 2005. After a grueling game, they stood victorious, guns blazing 55-51.
See womens.basketball@wcaa.net .