EWIS wins HSBL championship- January 23, 2020
POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
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The East-West International School (EWIS) quintet beat Preah Sisowath High School (PSHS) to win the championship in the 15th High School Basketball League (HSBL). A strong second half allowed EWIS to carve out a 75-49 win in the final of the HSBL boys' division at the National Training Centre Gymnasium in Phnom Penh on Saturday. EWIS came out blazing right from the start. Led by centre Victor Tep and power-forward Long, EWIS took advantage of its opponents' height disadvantage and weak defence to score easily from various spots on the floor. The first 10 minutes of action ended with EWIS ahead by a mile, with a score of 23-7. PSHS came out strong in the second period. A lacklustre effort from EWIS allowed PSHS to creep closer. Mainstays Rith Chandavid, Tong Thongnay and Chapthoeun Rothanak scored on fast breaks, inside sallies and from the perimeter, as momentum shifted to the PSHS side. EWIS missed many easy shots and was held scoreless for more than three minutes towards the end of the period. That spell was only broken after Tep converted a 10-footer with 1:30 remaining. PSHS outscored EWIS 17-13 in the second quarter. The first half ended with EWIS still on top, with a score of 36-24. His team's lacklustre performance in the second canto prompted EWIS head coach Jeff Kane to remind his players that they need to be consistent. 'I told them that they should have the same attitude and energy whether a shot goes in or not,' he said. 'If shots are going in, play hard. If shots are not going, in play hard,' Kane recounted telling his players at the halftime huddle. Kane's gentle, but firm, criticism of his team's effort subsequently worked to great effect as EWIS aggressively attacked the basket while clamping down on defence. PSHS then started missing easy shots. The team was also committing a lot of turnovers that EWIS easily converted into baskets on the other end. In one two-minute stretch, shooting guard David Hay, who was uncharacteristically silent during the first 20 minutes of the game, was simply unstoppable, drilling two triples while scoring on a variety of layups, floaters and jumpers. Long and Tep, meanwhile, made sure that PSHS could not penetrate inside for easy baskets. With his burly size, Long was also a monster on the boards. A 15-4 run in the first six minutes of the period allowed EWIS to increase its advantage to 52-28. EWIS outscored PSHS 29-6 in the third quarter. The period ended with EWIS comfortably ahead, 65-30. Rothanak scored two quick baskets in the opening minute of the fourth quarter as he tried to will his team back into the game. A defensive breakdown allowed Rothanak to slip inside for a backdoor layup. He followed that up with a floater a few seconds later. But every time PSHS threatened, Hay would come to his team's rescue. After Rothanak's daring exploits, Hay aggressively drove for layups and hit from downtown on three consecutive possessions as EWIS put the game out of reach, at 73-43, with four minutes remaining. With a minute remaining, both teams emptied their benches. EWIS players jumped with joy as the buzzer sounded to mark the end of the game. Hay paced EWIS with 20 markers. Tep and Long chipped in 15 and 10 points, respectively. Point guard Jet Starkweather was also a force for EWIS on both ends of the floor. Chandavid scored 27 points to lead PSHS. Asked about the secret of his team's success, Kane said hard work was the key. 'My players practise five or six times a week,' he divulged. |
Last Updated: 3/5/2025
