DIS girls’ basketball teams traveled to Busan for the KISAC (Korean International Schools Activities Conference) Basketball Tournament from Feb. 23 to 24. With multiple players out due to the overlapped schedule of NHD (National History Day) Korea and KISAC, the JV and varsity teams combined into one.

From the get-go, the roster managed multiple challenges. They plummeted in their first game against NLCS (North London Collegiate Jeju). Sophomore Minori Kojima (#9), varsity captain, said, “It was our first game after the DMHS game, so our morale was quite low because we lost pretty badly.” As team spirit dipped, day one lacked flow.

The Jets faltered in the second round as well. They suffered a decisive defeat against SJAJ (Saint Johnsbury Academy Jeju). DIS lost their confidence, and both coach Bergan and Kojima expressed disappointment throughout the games. “I continuously say the same message, but it’s not being done. The girls need to shoot the ball when they’re open but they don’t, which was very frustrating to me. Whether you make the shot or miss it, you need to shoot,” said coach Bergan.

The main problem remained the offense. “I saw that it was a little difficult for them to get open to score the ball and so I think a little more time working on that would benefit them a lot,” Angie Galles (#5), a star player from BFS (Busan International School), said. With two sour losses, the girls geared up for day two.

The second day proved no better as the girls fell short once again in a match against BHA (Branksome Hall Asia). Coach Bergan said, “The girls were taller in general and it was difficult for us to match up with their size. We didn’t shoot the ball very well in the game as well, so the game overall didn’t match my expectations.” With an unfair physical advantage, they failed to keep the ball in possession.

In the last game, with one final pep-talk, the girls leaped back onto the court. But this time they heeded the advice from coach Bergan. “We started to do the things we talked about during the tournament. We did not give up easy points and defensively, we made them take tough shots, which caused them to miss a couple of shots.” The girls grasped their desire for victory and displayed heightened aggression. 

The girls finished off the tournament with a win and captain Kojima received the all-tournament team medal. Despite the troubles they faced their first three contests, the squad never gave up and ended their journey strong.

Gallery • 19 Photos

Jessica Woo

Photo by Jessica Woo.