This weekend all of the Dragon Basketball teams travelled to Hangzhou for the Intra-School Dragon Cup tournament. The three Dragon Cup events follow the varsity sports schedule and allow our SCIS/HIS student athletes to bond with fellow competitors from our other campuses.
HIS were gracious hosts and had two gymnasiums ready for games along with providing hot meals for the athletes. All of the schools finished the tournament with identical 4win/4 loss records – one of the closest Dragon Cup competitions to date. This is a testament to the growth and development of all our programs. Your SCIS Pd Dragons brought home the ‘actual’ Dragon Cup victory due to our 4 win and 0 loss Varsity record.
Our girls J.V. squad lost both their games at the tournament – but showed much growth and development. Mariana led the way with some key baskets and a healthy Emmi was a force on defense blocking shots.
The boys J.V. also came home from Hangzhou without a win. Coach Wilson’s team was in tough with two regular starters not making the trip. New-comer Chi Hang made an immediate impact with his knowledgeable game while Luke Simmons provided a serious inside presence. This team continues to improve and should be a force at the end of the season.
At the varsity level the girls won both their games. SCIS Pd had a real battle with Hongqiao – going into overtime before finally emerging victorious. The girls are becoming much more aggressive and the vaunted SCIS Pd press is rounding into form. Kaitlyn Wamsteeker had a tremendous tournament in the post – regularly outplaying bigger opponents, while Azusa and Tiffany provided much needed energy from the bench.
The varsity boys are continuing to adjust after losing senior starter Dickson Tsai to injury. Most impressive for the boys this weekend was their defense as they had almost six quarters of basketball where they held the opponent to 5 points or less (including a few quarters where the other team didn’t score at all). Garret Williams had some of his best games as a Dragon – especially on the defensive end of the floor. Ben Smytka continued to provide stalwart play in the middle, both as a rebounder and a scorer. Finally Sean Odell is quickly becoming an integral part of the team as a disciplined and energetic 6th man.
