How Did the Boys Basketball Game Against USM Go?

By Ian Dobson

It was 6:50 on Friday, November 15, 2024, and I was sitting in the bleachers watching the boys varsity basketball team warm up to play against USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia). The stands were full of students from all divisions cheering them on. Based on the warm-ups, both teams seemed like they would perform well. 

The game started, and Dalat started off strong with Abraham Latham (12) making the first shot of the game, a layup. Every time someone would score, all the people in the stands would shout and clap. Throughout the game, Dalat was always ahead, but a few times, it did get close. The main thing that USM was doing well was their passing. They seemed to have good game sense, and they knew when to make the right passes. Dalat didn’t let that stop them from winning, though. Dalat played really well and won the game with a score of 57:74. 

At the end of the game, they came over and bowed and said thank you to the people in the stands. They beat USM even though the students from there were all older than them and most likely had been playing longer, which is impressive. 

I asked Timothy Hollon (12) how he thought the game went overall, and this was his response: “The game went well. Coach Latham gave us three things to focus on: intensity from the start, lockdown defense, and to start putting some 3s in the net. And, we did that. We dominated the ball on both ends and put together a performance I was proud of.” Another thing he said was that they could have had less turnovers throughout the game. 

I think that overall, the Dalat varsity boys played really well. They were playing against a university, and they didn’t let the age difference affect the outcome of the game. They seemed to give it their all, and they gave us in the stands a good game to watch.