The girls’ varsity basketball team battled the Daegu Middle High School (DMHS) Warriors at Camp Walker on Dec. 12 then held a rematch at Daegu International School (DIS) on Jan. 16. Despite their efforts, the Jets ultimately lost both bouts by big numbers. 

The Jets entered the first matchup with Minori Kojima (number 9) as point guard, Annie Cho (number 3) as shooting guard, Lily Lee (number 4) as small forward, Dana Lee (number 23) as power forward, and Bonnie Kim (number 16) as center. In the second game, Coach Bergan switched up the lineup with Apple Jun (number 7) as the shooting guard and Annie in reserves on the bench.

The girls faced tough opponents with center Jasmine Harvey (number 23), who towered over the rest at an impressive 193cm. On top of that, Trinity Harvey (number 5) and J. McClendon (number 10) stood much taller than any Jet, at over 180cm. “Their team’s average height is pretty tall. And compared to that, we are shorter, and I think that sort of intimidated us and caused us to not play our best,” Freshman Victoria Kang (number 1) said. Size mattered in both games.

The Jets crash-landed with a score of 41 to 1 at the away game, and the sole point scored by Kang. She said, “I worked hard on my free throw, but I was still really nervous. I felt so happy and proud of myself for getting that one point and it sort of lightened up the team’s atmosphere.” 

Throughout the game, the girls hesitated and passed the ball around rather than shoot themselves, which resulted in no field goals or three-pointers. “Generally our offense was weak, and we didn’t shoot even if we had the opportunity to,” Jayden Hayward (number 27) said.

Lack of practice time also played a role in their loss. “We also need to memorize our moves, because when we go in the game, we panic, and we forget what to do. And we didn’t have enough opportunities to practice because we have winter break and even in practice, we had a hard time understanding what the drills and what we have to do,” Amy Shim (number 18) said. The Warriors practiced for months, whereas the Jets hit the court for the first time after only four practices. 

In the wake of the big defeat in game one, the squad returned to fundamentals and relearned offensive plays, in-bounds passes, boxing out, and zone defense. Coach Bergan said, “We didn’t run our drills properly and our strategies were blocked and seen by the opponents. So, during our last practices, we changed the defense and offense strategies up.” The Jets drilled a new defense to elevate their performance. 

In the second bout at the home court Jetnasium, the Warriors once again cruised through with a final of 45 to 3. The Jets’ 3-point total included a free throw by Annie Cho and a 2-point jump shot by center Amy Shim. “I was proud of myself because I shot, and I was proud that our team improved by shooting the two-pointer,” Shim said.

The altered zone defense worked better for the team. However, just like the first contest, the girls struggled on offense. Moreover, multiple missed passes led to countless turnovers throughout the rematch.

Despite setbacks such as physical differences, the girls showcased improvement throughout the two games. The Jets gear up for the upcoming KISAC tournament in Busan from Feb. 23 to Feb. 24.