OAKLAND >> The Town has lost a lot of sports over the past six years.

The Warriors took the bridge across the Bay. The Raiders skipped town entirely, fleeing to Las Vegas. The A’s moved to Sacramento and also have made plans to leave the state.

But Oakland still has a lot of love for basketball. Never was that clearer than on Saturday at Oakland Arena, which welcomed Morehouse College and Tuskegee University for the fourth annual NBA HBCU Classic.

The tradition is still new, but it’ll be tough to top this year’s edition. In an atmosphere that resembled the best kind of impromptu party, Tuskegee beat Morehouse 68-55.

But most of the conversation afterward centered around the joyful arena crowd — 10,131 strong — which sang along to song after song, danced during breaks in the action and enlivened what could easily have been simply a stale spectacle.

Instead, it was a joyful, triumphant celebration of everything the HBCU basketball experience has to offer.

“It got to be an HBCU event for sure,” said Morehouse coach Douglas Whitler. “If you guys have been to an HBCU game before, then you’ll understand what I’m talking about. But the production, the fans that were in the building, the music, everything about this game was super big-time.

“I’m excited that we were able to participate in this. I’m excited that our young men, this weekend, were able to get these experiences, because I know it’s something that they’ll never forget for the rest of their life.”

Late in the second half, the lower bowl — nearly full — began a wave, but this was no ordinary wave. Accompanied by a tidal wave of noise, the cascade of sound and motion drowned out the game itself.

It became clear then what had been bubbling under the surface all along. This was not your typical basketball game.

“I got goosebumps for these young men,” Tuskegee coach Benjy Taylor said. “I played at the University of Richmond, and I played in the Sweet 16. I’ve played in front of 30,000, coached in front of 30,000. For these young men to experience this, it just shows you you can go anywhere you want to go and be happy and still get that type of environment, that type of flavor. It’s something they’ll tell their kids and grandkids.”

Both teams expressed gratitude to the NBA for hosting the event, which provides HBCUs — many of which are based in smaller towns — the opportunity to showcase their talents on the big stage.

And those talents extended off the court. Both teams had featured halftime shows with marching bands and dancers, and the party kept going even after the final buzzer sounded.