Greenville 5th Grade: We Are The Champions!

Greenville School for the fist time in a decade has captured the 5th grade intramural basketball trophy.

The 20 girls and boys from the school’s intramural program, sponsored by Howell Basketball Club, last month captured the championship at Middle School North – the first time the school has taken the trophy in 10 years of competition.

The team finished its winning season with a 9-1 record, losing only to Aldrich School in the regular season, said coach Patrick Dowling.  Greenville later knocked out Aldrich in the playoffs, he said.

The elementary school intramural program introduces many kids to the sport who would not otherwise play in other leagues, Dowling said.

The teams consist of 20 players each, equally divided between girls and boys. Lines of five players are rotated through the four 10-minute quarters.

“This way, everyone gets to play,’’ Dowling said.

Some of the players have never played on a basketball team before, Dowling said, but many, say their experience on the intermural team have spurred them to try out for other teams.

The abbreviated season is just more than a month long, and each of the district’s nine schools play on another in the regular season, with playoffs to follow.

Dowling said about 900 people attended the championship game – a standing room only crowd.

“It’s tremendous,’’ Dowling said. “It’s really a great thing to be a part of.”