Middle school girls’ basketball traveled to Busan Foreign School (BFS) to contest for the SKAC trophy on May 22. The eighth graders let out everything they had for the finale of their middle school career. Leveled up from KISAC, the squad started strong and confident but lost control under pressure.

DIS first matched up against BFS. The sour loss from KISAC pumped up the Jets’ engines for revenge. Both teams swooshed basket after basket, which led to a neck-and-neck situation. An eighth grader from BFS Subeen Wang said, “Becky, she is a good dribbler. Aylet and her sister Lydia were really tall, and they got a lot of rebounds to shoot a lot. Becky, those two, and Yul were excellent.” With the whistle, the scoreboard showed 12:11, a win for the Jets.

After the first victory, DIS swooped the next two round-robin with 12:2 against Atherton International School (AIS) and 16:4 against Handong International School (HIS). 

International School of Busan (ISB) stood in the way of the last seed game. “We couldn’t score any goal in the first half against DIS,” ISB player Hani Kim said. As the second half progressed, the squad fell apart. Kim said, “DIS was rushing, they did not have much organization and could not stay calm under pressure.” The game concluded at 8:0, a loss for the Jets.

With three wins and one loss, DIS placed in the tourney’s second seed. The girls shook off the defeat and aimed for the semis. Up with the Sharks once again, the squad boosted each other’s confidence. Unfortunately, starter Yul Sakong injured herself and subbed out. Although the advantageous physique of Aylet and Lydia posed a difficulty, the opponents took their chances and widened the point gap. 

Wang said, “I got annoyed halfway through because so many tall people kept stealing the rebounds. We lost the first with DIS but second, we won, so I’m happy about it. All of us were doing a good job.” The ref called the game with the score of 11:4.

With the buzz, the girls shed their tears. Becky Cho said, “We lost in the semifinals last year and this year also. It’s the last SKAC for the eighth graders, and it’s Lydia’s last game as a Jet.” Lydia said, “I’m sad to be leaving and I’m sad that this was my last game.”

A promising start led to an undesired end, but the SKAC tournament left memories within the hearts and minds of rising freshman and middle schoolers who return for the 2025 season.