The atmosphere in the John Amos Field House was electric. The referees, Eric Burns and Mark Hyde, took to the court in their official zebra-stripes, and the score-keeping table was arrayed with the likes of scoreboard operator and Amish expert, Daryle Hochstetler; bookkeeper and Derek Rose fan, Chelsea Cocomise; tally sheet recorder and Brent Nagtegaal fan, Michelle Nagtegaal; and … yours truly, as commentator for the evening.

With all the pomp and pageantry I could muster, I announced the beginning of the games to the thunderous cheers of the audience behind me. It was to be a match kindling the flame of the Olympics with the speed of the Kentucky Derby, the endurance of Le Mans, the prestige of the World Cup, the precision of The Masters, the dueling of Wimbledon … well, that might be overdoing it. Nevertheless, the pyc men’s all-star basketball game is greatly anticipated, and this year, the camper team, assisted by pyc basketball staff Joshua Sloan and Charles Wittsell, would try to overthrow a long dynasty of worker team victories.

I announced the staff first: a foreboding lineup of skilled, ac-proven veterans. Next came the campers, having only proved their skills over the course of the short three-week camp, yet eager to face off against the worker team.

The whistle blew, and staff player Justin Yocum secured the ball for the workers, leading to some early points in the game. But the campers soon drove it right back, favoring a “read and react” offense to find a hole and drive the ball into the basket. The workers began to pull away with a tidy lead, nearly doubling the camper’s score early on in the game. The campers fought hard, though, and limited the lead of the workers to an average of about 10 points throughout the rest of the half. Some amazing baskets were made, with camper Gianni taking an impressive lead for his team in points.

The half-time buzzer buzzed (as you would expect, given its name), and an exodus of campers left the bleachers and headed out into the dining room to purchase refreshments from the makeshift camp store. Five minutes later, the game was set to resume. The campers were down in points, but the game was in no way over.

And the score just kept climbing for both teams. The workers maintained a lead, but only by the same margin. Then a three-point battle ensued. For what must have been several minutes, the campers and workers ran up and down the court, each taking turns to chance a lob from the three-point line. While this significantly lowered the shooting percentages of both teams, some threes did make it to their intended locale.

During a time out, I made my way into the crowd with the microphone, seeking words of encouragement from the audience. Leah Hyde contributed with a “Go Daddy!” to referee Mr. Hyde. The game resumed, and the gladiators were back at it.

The campers were struggling to claw back points, but the workers’ early lead proved insurmountable. The campers made a valiant effort right at the close of the game with both basketball staff Sloan and Wittsell coming out on court to assist, but it was to no avail, and coach Brent Nagtegaal led his worker team to victory.

The workers had done it again! But the campers had proven worthy opponents: This year’s game was much lower scoring than usual, a testament to the solid defense by both teams. Additionally, the lead was small, and for a large portion of the game, the campers kept up with the workers, shot for shot. A satisfied crowd gave one final cheer for the teams, and made their way back to their dormitories to prepare for the next day’s all-star activities, spurred on by the excitement and enthusiasm in this battle of the titans.