The middle school varsity and junior varsity basketball squads visited the International School of Busan (ISB) for the SKAC finals on May 22. Six different schools competed: AIS (Atherton International School), BFS (Busan Foreign School), HIS (Handong International School), KFS (Korean Foreign School), ISB, and DIS. The Jets came out as the last team standing and held up their first-ever SKAC trophy.

Varsity dueled the ISB Bears for their first game. With experience from KISAC, the Jets sailed smoothly on their offense. Jacob McAteer (number 24) utilized his dominant physique to dash into open space in the paint for quick layups. The game ended with a score of 15:23.

Shortly after, they faced KFS. With a newly formed duo from KISAC of Jason Kim (number 8) and William Seo (number 30) like Kobe and Shaq, the team handily beat KFS. The two stars’ notorious pick-and-roll captured the victory and beat KFS 7:29.

As the first seeds from their pool, they had a long break before the semis. On the other side of the court, junior varsity started off the round-robin against the two Bears squads, taking both games at 7:16 and 9:27 respectively. The team then hustled against HIS, (10:16) and the Sharks (15:19) JV team. 

Despite their undersized stature, they proceeded to the semifinals as the first seed and secured their ticket to the finals with a 53:16 win against ISB. Student coaches Evan Rossmeisl and Bryan Lee advised the JV boys for the whole tourney. 

After the intermission, varsity members faced off against HIS in the semis. The referee’s cautions over a supposed rivalry between DIS and HIS flared up the match before the whistle. 

The athletes shoved each other back and forth as they fought for their spot in the paint. Jason Kim, varsity starting point guard, said, “It was the most intense game in the tournament. The game was like score, defense, score, defense. No one knew who would win.” However, the Jets stood dominant, just one step closer to the gold (32:23).

Right before the varsity finals, the crowd swarmed around the outside court to watch the JV finals. The Jets battled against BFS under the rays of the glaring sun. With tight back-and-forth competition till the finish, JV ended up second with a score of 15:21. 

The starting crew steps onto the court like the 2016 Warriors for the finale of the day. Without hesitation, centers crash for the jump ball. Alex Seo (number 12) blasts the match with a mid-range jumper from Kim’s killer pass.

After transition defense, the Sharks leap for a shot, but William Seo snags the rebound and lobs a pass to McAteer. He dribbles through the defense and bounce passes right to the palms of Henry Kwak (number 25). One two, Kwak stomps in, makes a layup and one. 

However, the Sharks proved that they deserved a spot in the finals. Rather than post-ups, BFS shot wide three-pointers and caught up with the Jets’ lead. But the boys did not fall back. With cunning passes and cuts through the defense, the Jets maintained a close lead.

While the Sharks put in last-minute spurts, the Jets’ defense stood firm till the last beeps of the whistle. After a burdensome match, DIS came out on top of the scores: 34:44. Crowds, coaches, and crew members clapped with astonishment, as the varsity wore its gold for the first time in a decade. Kim said, “After winning, I’ve never seen Mr. Kaschub smile so big. All of us appreciate Coach Kaschub’s effort.” 

Coach Kaschub said, “I was really proud. The groups of boys last year were really close to the first-ever SKAC trophy. This year, the boys worked really hard and improved a ton both individually and as a team, so I was really proud of their hard work.” 

The Jets basketball crew ended victorious after a decade of tough losses. The KISAC tourney served as a robust foundation, and the gold tasted sweeter than ever before. Although eighth-graders move into high school divisions, youngsters rise and aim for a back-to-back championship. 

Gallery • 7 Photos

Ethan Rossmeisl

McAteer exploits the mismatch and bodies the smaller defender. His time spent in the gym allows him to bully other hoopers in the paint.