Hard-fought battles in House Basketball

By Yannis Ng

Did you watch House Basketball?

On the 21st and 22nd of May, students were welcomed with the opportunity to participate in short basketball games between houses. Due to the many events occurring near the end of the year, different locations had to be used across both days: the Secondary Gym on the 21st and the ground floor basketball court on the 22nd. Players could freely join games that varied in size — from 3-on-3 to 5-on-5 — with one objective: to win house points by getting the ball into the hoop.

It was the final competitive opportunity for every house to win points. Compared to the previous house event — the performance-based House Idol — House Basketball was catered more towards athletic students who could put their skills to use.

DIPS challenges were offered as an extra opportunity to win house points for those less inclined to play basketball. They provided a wider variety of sports beyond basketball, allowing the vast majority of people to enjoy the event and participate in the final part of the race for the 2024 house championship.

“ I thought that House basketball was a welcoming return to house events because we had a bit of a gap after House Idol,” said Ms. Boardman, Song house captain and chief organiser of this event.

“Even when the weather was bad, students kept their house spirits up. Although we had rain on both days, we could [use the indoor gym] on Tuesday, and in general, we dealt with the weather well.”

Tuesday featured an especially heavy downpour — it was clear that House Basketball had no chance of taking place on the outdoor courts in this weather. Fortunately, the Primary department, which occupied the Secondary gym at the time, was kind enough to offer flexibility by sharing the facility. “Many thanks go to the Primary department for letting us use half the gym for House Basketball,” Ms Boardman notes.

Ms Boardman also expressed her appreciation for the many people who showed up for the event. “It was extremely well attended, particularly amongst all the students: Qing House, in particular, had an amazing turnout,” she said. RCHK students showed immense dedication to their respective houses, not just by contributing to what could be the deciding factor in the house points race but also by lifting their house spirits in these fun, open events!

Overall, the day was enjoyable for all who participated. It also left many students suspenseful and excited in anticipation of the final scores. Unfortunately, they were left undisclosed — though we do know that Ming won the most points in the end!