KUCHING – SM Lodge came out on top in the boys’ category while the girls from CHMS No. 1 took home the championship trophy at the Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus inter-school basketball tournament, recently.
In the nail-biting final between the boys from SM Lodge and SM Sains Kuching kept spectators and supporters glued to their seats. Each team matched the other by taking the lead, only to lose it within seconds by a three-point difference.
While both teams performed impressively and appeared to have an equal chance of winning the final, at full time SM Lodge came out on top with 22 points while SM Sains Kuching trailed behind with 19 points.
“It was a close call but overall the team did well. We only expected to be in the top four in the tournament as we did not have a lot of games to practice but they improved a lot. All the teams were equally skilled,” said Linus Lee, the SM Lodge teacher-in-charge.
“We thank Swinburne Sarawak for organising the tournament as it gives us more avenues for competitions. That’s where they grow and learn a lot about themselves.”
SMK Kuching High was second runner-up.
In the girls’ category, CHMS No. 1 beat SM Sains Kuching 17-8 to prove they were the better team while SMK Kuching High was second runner-up.
Adding an international flavour to the competition was SMA Kristen Immanuel from Pontianak in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. While both its boys’ and girls’ teams did not make it past the first round, it was an experience they hope to learn from.
“It was good exposure for the students because we didn’t know what to expect before coming here. But after what we have seen, now we know,” said Antony Lie, the teacher-in-charge.
“On the whole it was a good competition and well organised. We may come again next year,” he said.
A total of 18 teams from 12 schools took part in the two-day tournament.
Datu Dr Haji Julaihi Haji Bujang, Director for Government and External Liaison at Swinburne Sarawak, presented the trophies and prizes.