A teammate sitting nearby laughed and offered, "He's lying. He is always the class clown. He can't ever be quiet."
Similarly, it's doubtful any court stenographer could keep up with Ingram. In the time it takes normal folks to say 10 words, he has roared past 15 and is knocking on 20's door.
Ingram shot 8-for-13 from the floor and 9-for-9 from the line for 25 points, while adding 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.
As his first free throw attempt sailed toward the bucket, Ingram said, "That's off! . . . Psych." The ball swished.
"Nah, I really did think it was gonna miss," he said later. "When I saw it go in, I had to correct myself."
Another time, as he stepped to the line, he blurted out, "I'm not missing free throws."
Though the rest of Ingram's nonstop comments were inaudible beyond the playing area, they must have been funny, because his teammates, and even Mastbaum's players, often smiled.
"The players and spectators like it, but sometimes coach [Jason Skovronski] gets on me to tone things down," Ingram said. "It's about sparking my team. Keeping them loose. I'm just trying to keep that positive energy going at all times. You need that in basketball."
You need to hit free throws, too.
"Man, foul shooting, that's one of the most fundamental things in the game," he said. "You always have to concentrate on those. I take mine serious. You know how it goes. Check out the championship teams. They make their free throws."
In the the OTs, with fatigue likely contributing, Kensington went 10-for-16 at the line. It was mostly golden beforehand (12-for-14) and four of those makes, exclusively in the fourth quarter, completed three-point plays that helped get the game to OT.
At that juncture, roughly half the "crowd" departed.
