Boys C Grade Basketball Team Wins Championship

The Boys C Grade Basketball team beat Chan Pak Sha School in the finals of the HKSSF Division 3 basketball tournament by a score of 35-32, on the 21 April 2018.

They’ve managed what no Island School team has done in more than a decade in winning the elusive HKSSF championship. The C Graders are blazing a trail for Island School basketball.

The Typhoons hit the ground running, quickly carving out a double-digit lead by halftime. Strong defensive positioning as well as constant communication on defense helped maintain the lead towards the end of the third quarter.

Leading by nine points going into the final period, the Typhoons needed to stay calm and play their game at their pace. Chan Pak Sha had other ideas, driving ‘into-the-paint’ and taking possession, grabbing offensive rebounds and earning multiple trips to the free throw line. The team’s star player continuous presence in-the-paint drew multiple defenders to stop him, allowing him to dump the ball out to shooters who then cut the Typhoon’s lead down to just 5 points.

The Typhoons responded magnificently to counter this run. Fluid offensive possessions comprising of slick passing and fast off-the-ball movement created some breathing room in the scoreline, forcing Chan Pak Sha to call a timeout with the ‘Phoons up by 7 points with 3 minutes remaining.

Ultimately, a pair of Chan Pak Sha baskets deep in the fourth quarter were just consolation ones, as the ‘Phoons were left to simply dribble out the clock, finally ending Island School’s championship drought. With such a talented, passionate, youthful squad under the guidance of Coach Ernest Liu, the sky is the limit for the Island School Basketball programme.

The team had already tasted success this year, emerging victorious in the annual ESF Inter-school Tournament.

Special Sports Report by Zaheu Jacota, Year 12