WATCH: WWAY on-air staff take part in station basketball tournament

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — The on-air staff at WWAY have a lot of different talents. In honor of the annual NCAA tournament, their basketball skills were put to the test this week.

Each person was placed in a bracket based off seniority, with veteran Hannah Patrick getting the number one seed, newcomer Emily Andrews getting ranked 12th and everyone else falling somewhere in between.

Round round of the tournament featured trash can basketball. Each player had to sink three paper balls as fast as possible, rebounding their misses and being timed on how quickly they made them all.

Everyone put in a good effort, but in the end Emily Andrews, Matt Bennett, Donna Gregory, Jake Eichstaedt, Sydney Bouchelle and Matthew Huddleston advanced to the next round.

Those who didn’t make the cut were somewhat disappointed.

“I feel like I could’ve done better,” Celeste Smith said. “I know this is not the me that I know.”

Hannah Patrick reflected Celeste’s thoughts, saying, “I feel strong about my skill, but I think I crumbled under pressure.”

Round two saw the six remaining contestants showing off their dribbling skills. Each person was times on how quickly they could go around a post, switch hands and make it back.

Sydney Bouchelle, Donna Gregory and Matt Bennett came up just short and didn’t advance to the final round.

“I feel like I should get a handicap for age,” Donna Gregory said. “Because when you add some people’s ages together it still doesn’t equal mine.”

After eliminating players based off their subpar shooting and dribbling skills, round three saw the final three putting their passing skills to the test.

Each person had their struggles, but WWAY Sports Director Jake Eichstaedt ultimately came out victorious.

Jake says he knew all along he would win.

“By getting good night’s rest, eating three meals a day and drinking plenty of water to try and beat everybody,” Jake said. “Because the trophy is mine.”

Congrats to Jake!

If you would like to take part in the 2023 WWAY Bracket Challenge, click HERE.