1st Annual We Move NY Basketball Game Was an Epic Showdown between Subways and Buses

By Joseph Morales

The 1st Annual We Move NY Basketball Invitational was held at the Barclays Center this Saturday with three basketball games occurring. The games were We Move New Jersey(NJ Transit employees) vs We Move Philly(SEPTA employees), NYCT Buses vs Trains and even a pee-wee game for youth. The games were all action-packed and down to the wire with players from all across the transit industry in the Northeast showing their skills.

Prior to the We Move NJ vs We Move Philly game, SEPTA General Manager and CEO Leslie S.Richards betted a crate of TastyKakes and NJ Transit President Kevin Corbett betted a saltwater taffy for their respective teams to win as seen on We Move New York’s Facebook page. The We Move NJ Vs We Move Philly game was a close one, with We Move NJ winning 37-32. Though NJ Transit led for most of the game, SEPTA had a few nice runs but eventually came up just short. As for the big game between NYCT Trains Vs Buses, it was an even closer one with the Buses only winning by 3 points or a single possession in a 37-34 ball game. With less than 30 seconds to go and the Buses team having little success at the free throw line, the Trains team intentionally fouled the Buses team hoping they would miss the necessary free throws to get them an extra possession. While they did, the Trains still could not capitalize on a chance to tie it. The excitement for this game could be felt throughout the Barclays Center as fans held their bus or train team posters in excitement and the crowd was wild in the final seconds of the games. The 5 minute, half-court pee-wee game ended in a 2-2 tie with the buzzer beater shot attempt to win it coming up just short.

Fans who had tickets were also able to see the New York Liberty take on the Chicago Sky which has the best record in the WNBA so far this season. With 9 games left in the season and their playoff hopes on the line, the Liberty won the game 83-80 in large part to Sabrina Ionescu’s game winning and-one which ended the Sky’s six-game winning streak as well as the Liberty’s five-game losing streak. Ionescu led the charge for the Liberty all night long with 17 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds. Other notable performances included Natasha Howard’s 16 pts, 1 ast and 10 rebound night along with Stefanie Dolson and Han Xu also having double digit scoring nights.

When it was all said and done, it was amazing to see transit employees from throughout the Northeast do battle at what is arguably the most popular sport in the region. The event in conjunction with the New York Liberty also gave those in attendance to witness one of the New York’s basketball teams do battle against one of the best teams in the WNBA this season and broaden the reach of women’s basketball. Hopefully this event can continue for years to come.