Over May 5-9, YCIS Chongqing took part in the final SCISAC (Southern China International Schools Athletic Conference) tournament of the year. The Basketball Tournament was hosted by Ivy Collegiate Academy, in Taichung, Taiwan and included five other international schools from Southern China (Hong Kong Academy (HKA), The International School of Macau (TIS), Ivy Collegiate Academy (ICA) in Taiwan, Xiamen International School (XIS) and Nanjing International School (NIS)). It once again proved to be a fantastic experience for players, coaches and all involved.

The tournament featured middle school athletes competing in at least 6 matches over a two and a half day period. The standard of play and competition was extremely high throughout the tournament with a number of nail biting matches and close finishes taking place. By the end of the tournament, the host Ivy Collegiate Academy (ICA) claimed the first place trophy in the boys’ tournament, and the girls from The International School of Macau (TIS) came out on top against a very competitive Hong Kong Academy (HKA) girl’s team.

Despite a long day of travelling on the first day, the YCIS basketball teams safely made it to Taichung. After checking in to the hotel, the teams went out for a team dinner followed by an early night in preparation for the second day of the trip and the first day of round robin matches.

After a good night rest the teams were welcomed by bright and sunny Taichung skies and one could smell the excitement in the air. The first day of the tournament proved to be a long, but successful one for both YCIS teams. The boys played a total of three matches against The International School of Macau (TIS), Nanjing International School (NIS) and finished the day against Xiamen International School. The girls also played 3 matches against the host school Ivy Collegiate Academy (ICA), TIS and XIS. Both teams were extremely pleased with their first day matches, winning two out of their 3 matches, and their coaches were extremely proud of their efforts.

For the girls, the day two of the tournament started with final round-robin matches against HKA who would be eventual runners up in the tournament and NIS. The YCIS team was not daunted by this prospect and continued to demonstrate the desire and passion that had brought them this far. The girls fought hard in both matches, and with a win against NIS and a loss to HKA, the girls would finish the round robin stages in third place. The girls then faced HKA for the first round of the semi-finals and unfortunately, the second seed and eventual runners up of the tournament HKA were just too strong for our girls. The girls finished their tournament against ICA on third day of the tournament in the match for the third and fourth place. The match was played in excellent spirits, which was a testament to the relationships that are established off the court. With an excellent second half performance, the girls finished the match on top and would claim their second SCISAC Basketball trophy since joining the league.

Our boys started the second day off with a final round-robin game win and dominant display against HKA, however, would lose NIS in the second however, would still secure their spot in third place going into the semi-final round. YCIS would meet NIS once again in the semi-final, in one of the most exciting and nail-biting matches of the tournament, however, despite a valiant effort from both players and coach, were narrowly defeated in the dying seconds of the game. On the third and final day, YCIS would meet XIS in the third and fourth playoff match. The boys came out firing from the start and were clinical throughout. XIS proved to be no match for the boys who would come out victorious, also claiming our first boys SCISAC Basketball trophy.

As coaches and staff YCIS was extremely proud of both teams’ performances both on and off the court.

Both teams have come such a long way and have demonstrated teamwork, passion and excellent camaraderie in all the matches that they have played.