HILARY HOSIA
I consider myself a basketball enthusiast. Whether it’s the mini-three on three tournaments at the Jisam Kaisha Basketball Court in Rita, the veterans league in Long Island, the BOMI Ralik Ratak Shootout at the SSG Solomon Sam Sports Center in Uliga or the May Day competitions at the Jones Center in Springdale, Arkansas.
With that said, I’ve never seen better sportsmanship demonstrated by a team than that of the visiting Team Pohnpei that flew home undefeated Friday following three consecutive wins in Majuro.
“Thank you, you’re really good you know,” a Pohnpeian point guard said while hugging a player from Majuro Middle School following an intense game that had spectators on the edge of their seats last Thursday.
During the championship game against MMS, Pohnpei struggled to take the lead in the first half but were on fire and moved out to a large lead during the third quarter, all the while keeping their calm composure both on the court and the sideline.
The last minute of the fourth quarter was pretty heated for Pohnpei because they were trailing three points but before the buzzer went off, an incredible three point shot was made from the sideline, forcing an overtime.
The last five minutes had Pohnpei in the upper hand, but even then, the players and the coach maintained calm.
When the buzzer went off ending the game with a 77-75 victory for Pohnpei, the visiting team immediately congratulated their opponents, while the adults and entourage expressed their gratitude to referees and organizers.
Read more about this in the December 30, 2016 edition of the Marshall Islands Journal.