By Mina Yoo
A game in YISS between the Varsity Basketball Girls and the Crusaders last Friday ended with a close defeat of 29-42.
On January 23, many high school students remained after the pep rally to watch the Guardians fight against the Crusaders. This second final home game for the girls was an unfortunate loss, but the game was still close as the girls led the game for the first quarter.
Starting players Hana Ikeda (11), Juhee Kim (12), Jessie Richards (12), Kyla Swanson (11) and Suzy Kim (11) led the game as first quarter ended with 10-4. The team’s point guard Hana led the team by swiftly dribbling across the court and making the most shots while Kyla led the team with the most rebounds and steals. Soo Lee (9) also made impressive plays throughout the game by scoring while simultaneously earning and making free shots. Jessie impressed the players with her perfect three-point swish during fourth quarter.
The game was an unfavorable loss for the Guardians, but the audiences were still impressed by the teamwork and energy of the players. The team kept a close mark with the Crusaders until the last quarter.
“We were so close to winning! The Guardians kept bouncing back so I was able to hope for the best,” Sarah Chey (12) remarked about the game. “I was really surprised by their resilience.”
“I’m really proud of my team’s performance during the SFS game,” Juhee Kim (12) said. “Everyone on the team played hard. We were right in it until the very end, but we just couldn’t pull through. Now we’re just looking forward to KAIAC and hopefully another opportunity to get back at the crusaders.”
The Guardians are now hoping to get back and fight harder during their upcoming KAIAC competition at SFS on February 6 to 7. They are also consistently practicing for their ACSC tournament in ICS-Hong Kong during February 24 to 28..