Staff writer Abyan Memon provides a blow-by-blow account of the 2025 Men’s Basketball Varsity game.
| Men’s Basketball (KCL – UCL) | |||
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
| 20 – 23 | 36 – 51 | 57 – 75 | 78 – 96 |
Play-by-play
The Men’s Basketball Varsity starts with an exciting defensive showing from both teams. On the first possession KCL gets a steal and UCL gets the block on the other end. With the crowd already on their feet, KCL scores first off a three-point attempt by Myles Mullett (#11), sending the stands into a roar. Mo Gacis (#5) joins Mullett with a couple of early outside shots of his own.
Both teams attack the paint early, with UCL scoring on a putback after an offensive rebounding party at the rim, while KCL’s captain Treasure Cletus (#29) aggressively drives in and draws the and-1.
Block at the rim by KCL’s Zangan (#24) and the offensive rebound to the and-1 by UCL sends both crowds roaring.
Cletus takes over for KCL: storming down the court, dishing out the ball to shooters, hounding rebounds, attempting putbacks, and drawing fouls. UCL’s #8 responds with a couple of high-flying layups.
With the fast-paced first quarter, early mistakes including turnovers and missed shots start hindering both teams. UCL settles back into attacking the basket and finishing at the rim. But Maxwell Martin (#13) blocks a transition layup to shift the momentum back to KCL.
To end the first quarter, both teams exchange a couple more three-pointers. KCL struggle to score at the basket, but successfully block UCL’s shots, turning the stops into transition points and and-1s.
To start the second quarter, KCL comes out strong on defence, forcing turnovers, but still a little faulty in their shooting. UCL seizes the opportunity to turn up their own defence, forcing turnovers and difficult shots for KCL.
KCL faces a scoring drought that pushes UCL’s lead to 41-29. Gacis breaks through with the and-1, but KCL continues to struggle to sink the ball. However, the quarter ends on a high as Rayan Dweik (#3) hits a three-point buzzer-beater to end the half.
Coming out of halftime, KCL takes control with Reece Singh (#9) getting the and-1 shot to fall. Gacis turns on the jets, pouring in points from all over the court.
As he heads to the free throw line, Gacis receives MVP chants from the entire KCL crowd. He hits another mid-range shot as the crowd erupts into “you can’t guard it” chants.
Gacis continues to build his case for MVP as he shows off his handles and his passing by dancing with defenders and perfectly placing a full court pass to get his teammate an easy layup.
However, with no one else on the KCL side scoring consistently and UCL continuing to hit their three-pointers, UCL heads into the fourth quarter with a dominant lead.
After an early timeout in the last quarter, KCL comes back with much more polished gameplay: passing the ball, securing the offensive rebounds, and scoring on putbacks.
As UCL’s shotmaking falters, KCL cuts their lead to 75-65 with just over seven minutes left in the game. However, as UCL keep their heads in the game hitting more big shots, KCL’s comeback attempt starts slowing down.
The KCL crowd keeps encouraging their team, directing MVP chants towards Cletus as he steps up to the free throw line.
Out of the final timeout, UCL pulls away with a 6 point lead after trick shot buckets at the rim, showing out for their crowd who cheer them on. UCL takes the 2025 Men’s Basketball Varsity win 78-96.
Post-Game Reactions
ROAR asked the KCL crowd which player performances stood out. Gacis was the favourite with his handles, consistent scoring, and lockdown perimeter defence. Captain Cletus followed closely with his leadership play providing his team with the spark when they needed it through aggressive offensive charges: attacking the paint, dishing it out, offensive rebounding, and scoring off putbacks.
Martin was also mentioned for his athletic high-flying performance on the defensive end by challenging shots at the rim and collecting rebounds. Mullet was mentioned for his reliable catch-and-shoot three-point shooting.
ROAR approached the captain after the game for a post-game interview. “I don’t know if necessarily we were forcing any shots. Our philosophy has always been just get the ball, try and shoot, if it doesn’t go in, don’t worry, just get back on defence… I think that’s what we did today. Look, some of the shots we took were terrible, some of the shots we took were good. At the end of the day we still scored 78. But who cares about how many points we scored, look how many we let in. It’s about getting back.”
Cletus applauded his teammate Gacis for his valuable performance all season: “He’s the captain for next year… As captain this year I already knew he had that hunger in him. He’s going to lead the team to some success, I can guarantee you that. He’s a baller. He’s fearless. Bro’s not even that tall, bro’s not even that big, but wow, does he play with heart.” Chris Kovaleski (#21) chimed in, calling Gacis an “absolute offensive baller”.
ROAR also asked Cletus what gave the team motivation to keep fighting in the fourth quarter despite the deficit: “Never give up… The moment you give up you’ve lost. Even when it was down to 2 minutes we still wanted to win. Basketball at the end of the day is a game of runs, so the moment you put your head down, they’ve already won. Our heads were up till the very last buzzer… a couple times a couple of heads went down, but we kept on trying to big each other up. We’ve had that mentality that we need to have each other’s backs 24/7. And you know what? We lost, but I lost with some brothers today. These are gonna be my boys till I’m 60, till I’m long dead in the grave. So I’m happy.”
KCL Men’s Basketball are clearly in safe hands, and ROAR can’t wait to see what next year brings.
