The middle school girls’ varsity basketball invited five other schools to the Jetnasium for the Korean International School Activities Conference (KISAC) tournament on May 17 and 18. DIS welcomed all the teams to a friendly yet competitive face-off. Although they got blown out in the first game, subsequent match-ups only differed by one or two points.

The girls first started against North London Collegiate School (NLCS) with Becky Cho as point guard, Mika Lee as shooting guard, Luisa Silva as small forward, Yul Sakong as power forward, and Lydia at center. Throughout the game, they struggled to make layups and free throws. The physical differences also played as an obstacle. The game concluded with 32:5 on the scoreboard with raised tension.

In the following game against Saint Johnsbury Academy Jeju (SJAJ), the Jets faced another disappointment. They narrowly missed victory with a one-point difference, and Amy Kim, a key player in the defense line-up, suffered from an ankle injury. 

Day two began with a battle against Busan Foreign School (BFS). The squad showed great improvement through the previous day full of basketball. With more precise passes and shooting opportunities, the match proceeded neck-and-neck. However, even with their six-point lead, they lost by a narrow two-point gap. Becky Cho, point guard starter, said, “I think we could have better mindsets as a team together. We overestimated ourselves and couldn’t win any games throughout the tournament.”

Unable to reach the finals, the crew fought for fifth place against Branksome Hall Asia (BHA). The teams remained head-to-head throughout the intense game. Lydia dominated the rebounds as Silva swished several shots to keep the game close. Despite their best efforts, DIS fell short by three points. The close defeat hit hard as some shed tears on the court. Silva said, “I cried because I just felt bad. I thought that there was no point in playing if we were getting last place.”

The tourney passed the trophy on to the Orcas. NLCS varsity starter Melissa Ju said, “During the finals, we played with KISJ, who we previously lost in the friendly match but we were focused on the game. We managed to beat the team winning the tournament undefeated.”

Although the unexpected result broke the hearts of the Jets, it served as a valuable learning experience. The girls now lift their heads for the South Korean Activities Conference (SKAC) tourney on May 22.