Girls PSL Basketball Tournament by Mr Kyle
On Monday 26th February, two Nadeen teams (Nadeen Nets & Nadeen Knicks) travelled to ASB to compete in the U11 Primary Sports League (PSL) basketball tournament. Both teams were separated into different pools and would each play in group matches with the hope of making it to the semifinals.
In Pool A, the Nadeen Nets played amazingly well, winning every group game, without conceding a basket. They won their first game 6-0 against ARKS Diyar, their second game finished 2-0 against ARKIS and in the final group game they played and beat the tournament hosts ASB 6-0.
In Pool B, the Nadeen Knicks, got off to a tough start, suffering a heavy defeat to Riffa Views, but they composed themselves, managing to draw the next game and finishing off the group stage with a win against ARKS Diyar second team.
The results from each Pool meant that the Nadeen Nets and the Nadeen Knicks would face each other in the semifinals. It was a tense affair, with no baskets scored in the first few minutes, with some excellent defensive performances from both sides. In the end, the Nadeen Nets were able to break the deadlock and after that were able to win the game comfortably 8-0. This meant that the Nadeen Nets were heading to the finals and the Nadeen Knicks would play in the 3rd/4th place playoff.
In the 3rd/4th place play off, the Knicks were to face Riffa views again. The girls battled extremely hard, but unfortunately lost out by 2 baskets. It was an incredible showing from the Nadeen Knicks, with many of the girls having never competed for the school competitively before, each girl should be incredibly proud of how they performed.
In the final, the Nets were to face the hosts ASB again. ASB scored an early basket, but the girls remained unshaken and came back to make the score 6-4, with a fantastic long range basket from Leticia. ASB scored a late basket with a minute left on the clock, to make for a nervy last few moments, but the girls defended resolutely and came away with a 6-4 win to be crowned champions!
“I can’t believe we won. I’m so happy!“
– Ava, Nadeen School Student
“Everyone played so well, it feels great to lift another trophy“
– Leila, Nadeen School Student
The girls should be immensely proud of themselves, not only did they showcase their basketball skills so well, but they also showed great sportsmanship throughout and worked harder than every other team they faced. They also showed great dedication to get to school at 7am for early morning training sessions in order to prepare properly for this tournament. It’s fair to say that these sessions certainly paid off!