The DIS girls’ basketball team traveled to the International School of Busan (ISB) on Feb. 24 to compete in the South Korea Association of International Schools (SKAIS) finals. Varsity set its sights on a podium finish after a challenging KISAC tournament, while junior varsity made its debut. After a full slate of matches, varsity secured second place, falling just two points short of the title, while JV captured the championship trophy.
JV kicked off the day with Amy Kim (17) as point guard, Sophie Lee (22) as small forward, Belle Kim (12) as shooting guard, Sophia Bae (11) as center and Reina Li (21) as power forward. In addition, Bae (11) and Li (21) pulled double duty, competing across both divisions.
Due to a lack of competitors, only ISB and DIS joined the JV division. Although the ISB team comprised mainly middle schoolers, their experience from other competitions gave them an upper hand. Nevertheless, the girls powered through with key contributions from Belle Kim (12) and Lee (22).
Belle Kim (12) effortlessly made jump shots, contributing to a four-point lead after the first half. “I just shot from the 3-point line, which was pretty far away, but it went in, so I was happy,” Belle Kim (12) said.
With their consistent shots and strong defense, they took a close 12:14 victory. “I think we just tried our best to keep the ball, and we were very aggressive, which allowed us to win,” Belle Kim (12) said.
After lunch, JV returned to face ISB in a high-stakes rematch with the championship on the line. The game opened in a tight back-and-forth, with both sides trading baskets possession after possession. Despite strong defensive efforts, small mistakes such as traveling and double dribbles kept the score close and the lead narrow through the first half.
With DIS holding a narrow one-basket lead, a moment of confusion nearly shifted the game’s momentum. “After a free throw, we got the rebound, and Belle passed it to Sophia, who was outside the paint. Then Sophia started running to the other basket, and she started shooting it. Since she’s the leader of our group, I thought she was correct and just followed. But luckily the ball didn’t go in, so we didn’t end up shooting in our own goal,” Li (21) said.
Nevertheless, key contributions from Li (21) and Bae (11) from under the basket allowed the girls to claim their first-ever high school girls’ basketball trophy in years (9:14). “Although we were tired, we tried to maintain a strong defense and do what we learned in practice. I think the support from our team since varsity girls cheered for us really gave me extra energy and confidence on the court,” Belle Kim (12) said.
Immediately following the JV finals, the team returned to the court for an exhibition matchup against the lowest-seeded varsity team, Busan Foreign School (BFS), giving players additional time to compete. Although the team suffered a lopsided defeat (34:4), they remained optimistic and proud of their earlier victory.
At the same time, varsity fought hard to redeem themselves following the KISAC tourney. They kicked off their first match against ISB with starters Apple Jun (7) as point guard, Minori Kojima (9) as shooting guard, Bonnie Kim (16) as center, Lily Lee (4) as small forward, and Luisa Silva (26) as power forward.
They started strong as Kim (16) and Silva (26) secured rebounds from under the basket. However, as the game progressed, a series of successful three-point shots ultimately gave the Bears an upper hand.
In addition, a lack of stamina and low shooting accuracy in the fourth quarter contributed to a 29:25 defeat. “I think we struggled a lot with covering the three-pointer shots. There was one girl really good at shooting threes, and we weren’t properly covering our zone defense,” Kojima (9) said.
After lunch, they matched up against BFS. From the opening whistle, the girls seized control, as quick-paced layups from the guards turned into easy baskets and steadily widened the gap. “We were running our offense smoothly, and Mr. Park was talking about how we seem to be knowing what we’re doing with the press break. So it was a success,” said Kojima (9).
After a hard-fought game, varsity took their first win of the day (15:25). “Although we beat you guys in KISAC, your defense improved a lot. And I think that’s why we lost,” BFS point guard Maria Yuguy said.
The victory brought back past memories for the graduating seniors. “I remember when we were in ninth grade, we lost to BFS by a small margin at SKAC, and we promised to win once before we graduated. I was really happy we were able to fulfill that promise, especially because Mr. Park was our coach back then, too,” Jun (7) said.
The Jets then geared up for a finals rematch against the ISB Bears. They opened with intensity, as Jun (7) and Kojima (9) converted early layups to set the tone. ISB responded quickly, with shooting guard Eder knocking down three-pointers and finishing at the rim to keep the score tight.
The team continued to trade baskets, but small mistakes in the third quarter left the Jets trailing by six. Still, DIS fought back, as steals from Lee (4) created easy scoring opportunities and cut the deficit to just one basket.
With only two minutes left in the game, Shim (18) dropped a clutch layup from under the basket, sending the game into overtime. “When we went to overtime, I remember when Amy scored, it was amazing. She made us tie with that one shot under the basket, and I was so happy. I remember I was jumping. And then when I was jumping, we went to hug Amy,” Jun (7) said.
Despite their efforts, “To be honest, it was amazing. And when we lost, I was really sad, especially because we lost so little by one basket. So I remember I was pretty emotional also because it was my last game. I’ve seen a lot of the ISB players for a long time as well. But ISB deserved it and I’m happy about the results,” Jun (7) said.
In addition, both sides took away more than basketball experience. “I have played with Apple since grade three. So we have a longstanding friendship and rivalry as well, so this game felt really weird. Basketball was the first game we played against each other, from the start, so I had a very sentimental feeling from the beginning. After the game, during handshakes, Apple opened her arms for a hug, making the moment especially meaningful,” said ISB shooting guard Taehee Eder.
While DIS came short, the season led to significant improvements and set the tone for a bright future. “One aspect they changed in this game was their skill improvement. There were a couple of players from DIS who played really well, and their ability to really give their best was impressive. I could see they improved both as individual players and as a team,” Eder said.
In recognition of their efforts, senior guards Kojima (9), Lee (4) and Jun (7) earned the all-tournament award. “My favorite moment was winning the all-star award with Apple and Lily. It was especially meaningful because I have played with Apple since fifth grade and Lily since eighth grade,” Kojima (9) said.
As the high schoolers transition into soccer season, the team looks ahead with confidence in its next generation. “Our younger class was actually looking really good. So I know that we’re leaving, and a lot of our core members are leaving. But I know that they’re going to continue to play really well,” Kojima (9) said.
elly • Mar 19, 2026 at 7:34 pm
Good job Jets! I hope that we can keep this up and get more awards and trophies next time too!