LDS Church basketball is known for its intensity.

There are the game-saving baskets, gut-wrenching losses and, of course, legendary wrenching fouls to the gut, spawning T-shirt logos.

Doug Larsen, 80, of Saratoga Springs and his nephew, James Larsen, 70, and friend, Fred Fife, 69, both of Salt Lake's west side, savor their church basketball days of yore even though they don't remember all the details. James Larsen even has two vintage jerseys of appropriately named former go-to guard Tommy Gunn. The Larsens and Fife shared favorite memories from their church-ball days.

They were teenagers in 1954 when the Division 6 championship was at stake in Harold B. Lee Hall, 536 S. 900 West. The old Salt Lake LDS 5th Ward was behind by 1 point late in a game against defending champion Burton Ward for the right to advance to the All-Church Tournament. "They had really good players, including a 6-2 center," said 5th Ward's former coach, Doug Larsen.

During a timeout with about 10 seconds left, the coach drew up a play for big-man Dick Mitchell, who seemed to be able to score at will. Mitchell would hit the winning basket, if all went well. But it didn't.

Fife, another big man, remembers looking to find Mitchell, who wasn't open. So he fired up a shot from the top of the key, which clanged left off the rim. Fife grabbed the rebound, raced to the left corner and launched another brick. With time winding down, Fife rebounded again and barely arched a 25-footer from the right corner before the final horn sounded.

Swish! The winning shot hit nothing but net. "We swarmed him," said James Larsen, also a big man, with a twinkle in his eye. "We wanted to kill him for not running the designated play." Fife had literally taken the 5th to the next level of church basketball.

"All heck broke loose," when fans stormed the floor, Fife said. It was an amazing time for 5th Ward, which was on its way to All-Church competition, held at the then-Salt Lake Riverside LDS Stake Center, 947 W. 200 North.

What may have been more amazing was that an earlier scuffle in the game didn't result in a forfeit by 5th Ward. During a scrap for the ball, the referee blew the whistle to stop play. But James Larsen remembers he didn't stop, instead ripping the ball out of an opposing player's hands.

When he looked up, "I saw my dad (also named James) reaching up to get his hands around the referee's neck." He glanced away, but upon looking back, saw his father was back in his seat.

Later, the younger James learned a teammate's mother saved the day. "Mrs. Chidester dragged my dad by his belt back to his seat before he could get his hands around the referee's neck."