You wipe the bead of sweat from your brow with the back of your hand as you glance at the scoreboard. You’re down 58-56 with 20 seconds left on the clock. Above you, the crowd is cheering; everyone is on their feet for the final seconds.

Your teammate passes the ball in bounds and you are back in the game, pushing the ball down the court. As you cross the half court line, you see one of your teammates posting up near the basket, so you dribble to the right and pass the ball in the paint.

They shot fake the ball and pass it back out to you, ready on the three-point line. From the corner of your eye, you see an opposing player running at you quickly with a hand up, but your release is quicker. You watch as the ball swishes through the net and the scoreboard buzzes, signaling the end of the game. Your teammates rush to you and you all yell with excitement. You’ve done it. You’ve led your team to victory.

This may seem like a scene from a movie, a collegiate championship, or even the NBA finals. However, this scenario is unfolding right on campus, possibly only hundreds of feet away from your place of residence. Murray State offers 18 intramural sports opportunities with leagues for men, women and co-recreation. From pickleball to quidditch, ample opportunities exist for students to compete both on a team and individually. Softball, sand volleyball, spikeball, kickball and cornhole season have already passed; however, there are still opportunities to play pickleball, flag football, quidditch and ultimate frisbee this semester. On Nov. 16, there will also be a one-day pool tournament, and registration is open until midnight on Nov. 15. The spring semester will feature basketball, poker, dodgeball, soccer, spikeball and volleyball.

One of the most special parts of Murray State’s intramural program is you have the option to play on a team for your residential college. Omarcus Jenkins, assistant director of Campus Recreation, said he knows how beneficial that can be for students looking to get involved and make new friends.

“Being able to get to know people in my building and build that rapport with people that I lived with helped me make a lot of friends and get my foot in the program,” Jenkins said.

Whether you live on or off campus, you are assigned to a residential college. The colleges include Richmond, Clark, Elizabeth, Hart, Hester, Regents, RH White and Springer-Franklin. If you aren’t sure which of the eight you belong to, you can find that information on MyGate under the Academics tab.

If you aren’t fond of the students down the hall, you can gather your own crew of peers and register together. Ryan Reike, Murray State junior nursing major and captain of a co-rec sand volleyball team that is in the final four of the playoffs, met the people on his team from different places throughout his time thus far in college. Along with giving his group a chance to compete and build camaraderie, the intramural sports season can be a chance to relinquish the pressure of academic responsibilities.

“I think it gives us college students something to look forward to and I believe it acts as a mental break from how stressful school is,” Reike said.

Sometimes sports aren’t all about the outcome of the competition, but rather the connections and memories you make while competing.

Whether you’re looking for new relationships forged from friendly rivalries, an opportunity to mentally decompress or a stage to showcase your Olympic-level skills, you are guaranteed to find a place to call home with Murray State intramurals.

Will you let the Clark Crusaders win their second straight co-rec basketball championship? Who will challenge the referee flag football team? Only you and your fellow students can decide who is up for the challenge.

The deadline to register for the remaining fall semester sports can be found on IMLeagues.com or on the Racers IMs app.

You can also find more information about Murray State’s recreational facilities on their Instagram page @murraystwellness.