On Nov. 24, the SIS varsity boys basketball team played its first match of the season against the YISS Guardians, emerging victorious and out-scoring its opponent by 20 points.

At tip-off, YISS gained possession of the ball, scoring the first basket of the game. Just seconds later, the SIS Tigers came back strong both in defense and offense, scoring the next 15 points and pulling ahead of their opponent in the first quarter.

“The [SIS] boys tonight came out with terrific energy and used that to play suffocating defense early in the game,” Tim Munro, SIS varsity boys basketball coach, said. “YISS was not able to generate any flow and struggled to score because of our pressure. [SIS] also shot amazingly from the 3 point territory, which allowed us to take an early lead,”

While SIS played great offense, scoring over ten shots from the three-point line, the team shined equally as bright in defense, preventing YISS from dribbling further into the paint and scoring baskets from up-close. 

“What was great, though, was the boys got to recognize that offensive firepower is actually generated by playing intense defense,” Mr. Munro said. 

SIS was able to maintain and later extend its lead in the second quarter, shooting with accuracy beyond the paint. The team’s youngest player, Andrew Park (10), was the highest scorer, ending the game with over thirty points. 

“I came out of the game pretty satisfied because many of my shots were following [through],” Andrew said. “Next game, I would like to improve on my passing skills as well as being an overall better team player.”

Although SIS’ stunning win set forth a promising season, it also gave the players and the coach a chance to re-evaluate their performance within the game to carry on the momentum in future matches. 

“We will need to play more consistently throughout the entire game,” Mr. Munro said. “I think that, as we had a large lead in the fourth quarter, the energy level dropped and that gave YISS some momentum and they were able to shave some points off the lead. I will encourage them to keep playing with high intensity on the defensive end no matter what the score happens to be.”

Being the first in-person game in two years amidst an ongoing pandemic, the friendly matchup between SIS and YISS served as a significant stepping stone towards a normal basketball season. Nevertheless, spectators, with the exception of JV basketball players, were denied from entering the court to cheer on either of the teams. 

“The fans are a major part of the game as they contribute to the overall atmosphere,” Andrew said. “Having no fans last game forced us to recreate [the atmosphere] as a team. Hopefully, spectators will be allowed to watch the game in the future.”