END OF THE SEASON
1/19/2024
BRONZE MEDEL！
1/28/2024
The Boys Basketball team put the (almost) perfect finishing touch to a great season by securing a convincing 34-46 victory on SCIE's court against the hosts. SCIE had their own school students cheering for their team, but from the very beginning, they were overwhelmed by the excellent performance displayed by our boys on both ends of the court.
Coaches Goran and Blanco, along with all the players, had a clear game plan: SCIE defends in 1-2-2 or 2-3 zones, so it was necessary to move the ball quickly in attack and have an outside threat from the corners to create openings in the zone for the centers. Andy was part of the starting lineup precisely for this reason and ended up being a key piece of the victory, finishing with ten points scored.
The narrow defeat on Tuesday against VMA was tough, but it served as great motivation to go for the win from the start against SCIE: 0-7 to begin with, gaining an advantage that kept widening throughout the game. That start was crucial to play with calmness and gain confidence in the planned strategy. The defense and intensity were once again spectacular, with the locals unable to score any baskets other than free throws until the last minute of the first quarter.
Langston, Harry, Ian, Andy, Rex... the scoring responsibility was distributed among many players, and ball circulation was the best of the entire season. Similarly, Herry, Jacky, Alan, or Richard played important minutes and maintained defensive excellence, allowing SCIE to score only a couple of baskets in the second quarter, going into halftime with a score of 12-24 in favor of our team.
The third quarter followed the same path, with RDF dominating 19-34 at its end. The lead continued to increase until 25-40 for the last three minutes of the game. However, basketball is an unpredictable sport, and in less than a minute, SCIE scored nine points, narrowing the gap to just six points (34-40). With local fans cheering and making noise, RDF was able to calm the situation, manage nerves, and an offensive rebound with a basket from Tiger closed the bleeding. Later, baskets from Andy and Ian ultimately sealed the game with the final score of 34-46.
The team concludes the season with a bronze medal that no one expected a few months ago but now feels insufficient considering the level shown by our boys. Unfortunate circumstances in other games forced us to play the semifinals against the undefeated leader VMA, and RDF was only four seconds away from defeating them on their home court, amidst a hostile environment and some controversial referee decisions. VMA ended up winning the final easily against SIFC (43-31), clearly indicating the level demonstrated by our team.
1/17/2024
"Dying on the shore" refers to a fatal outcome that occurs after a great effort, just when one is about to achieve their attempt, to touch success with the tips of their fingers. That is exactly what our boys experienced yesterday with their 33-31 defeat against VMA in the ISL Final Four semifinals.
The twists of external results caused our team to finish the regular season in fourth place and had to face the undefeated leader, on their own court, for a spot in the championship final. VMA arrived having won all their games comfortably, but our boys have improved week by week and knew that if they played their game and competed to the maximum, they could have a chance.
Despite a basket from Rex to open the scoring, VMA quickly opened up a gap in the score: they knew and respected our team's game and wanted to avoid problems by having a comfortable lead from the start. But faith and intensity are the hallmarks of our team, and RDF never let the difference in the score exceed eight points.
The entire game unfolded in the same way during the first three quarters: VMA's lead fluctuated between three and eight points, but our defense improved in each quarter, and Langston, Harry, Rex, or Herry added baskets little by little, keeping the game alive. The effort of all our players was remarkable, especially on defense. Holding VMA to 33 points, on their court and against the crowd, is something beyond the reach of any other team in the league.
The last quarter started poorly for our boys, and VMA increased their lead to 21-30, which seemed definitive with six minutes to play. It was then that our fans spurred the team on with their chants, horns, and flags, and basket by basket and defense by defense, RDF got back into the game. A very good defense by Tiger on their star player was key, and from 21-30, we went to 31-30 after triples from Langston and Harry. There was a minute left to play, and the team touched glory with their fingertips.
The last minute was crazy, full of inaccuracies and good defenses. A controversial decision by the referees annulled a free throw made by Ian that would have meant an almost definitive 32-30. In the last 30 seconds, the team had three chances to close the game or go to the free-throw line, but everything was decided with a 2+1 basket from their star player with four seconds to play. Langston had one last shot, but the ball didn't go in, and our boys fell just short of making it to the final.
Tomorrow, we will play the bronze medal match against SCIE, also with the opposing team acting as hosts. It will be another tough duel with the crowd against us, but our boys will give their best to finish the season with a well-deserved medal.
1/16/2024
WE DID IT!
1/9/2024
Our boys’ basketball team wrote a new chapter in the RDF sports achievement book by qualifying for the ISL's Final Four for the first time, achieving an impressive victory on SIFC's court with a commanding 35-50 score. Our guys played the best game of the season to date just when it was most needed, dominating the scoreboard and the game from the first second of the match.
Our coaches have emphasized the importance of defense and intensity on both ends since the first training session, and the team has made that its hallmark in this league. Thanks to this defensive attitude, RDF quickly took the lead on the scoreboard (3-9 at minute 5) and managed those differences throughout the rest of the game, never allowing SIFC to come closer than six points on the scoreboard.
It was crucial yesterday that the team did not rely solely on Harry and Langston's points, but rather the entire team took responsibility for scoring, and practically all our players added points to their personal statistics: Ian, Jacky, and Rex were vital in the first quarter, Harry, Dale, and Andy did it in the second and third quarters, Tiger and Thomas in the last... this was, above all, a team victory.
RDF maintained leads of around ten points for much of the game (7-17, 17-29), but SIFC had moments when they made an effort to get back into the game: three almost consecutive three-pointers from their number 10 tightened the score in the third quarter. However, unlike in previous games, RDF remained calm when opponents pressed across the court and managed the game's pace. Our guys showed maturity and confidence to continue playing their game.
The dynamic remained the same in the last quarter, with SIFC showing timid moments of improvement but RDF perfectly managing those situations and scoring smoothly at key moments to widen the gap on the scoreboard. A significant victory that guarantees us a spot in the Final Four and, depending on Thursday's result between SIFC and SCIE, might even classify us as third in the regular league (an unprecedented success).
Next week, we will face the two remaining games to conclude the season: the semifinal on Tuesday and the championship game or the third and fourth-place match on Thursday. Meanwhile, it's time to enjoy what we've achieved and continue working to make the best possible conclusion to a great season for the team.
