Close Fight for the Closing Game

Hualien, Taiwan – October 16, 2011

Thus far Camerababy Elite Basketball Team has remained undefeated at Hualien Probation International Basketball Tournament. The standing victories have boosted the confidence of the players. In the final match of the HPB Tournament, the Camerababy Elite faced Pure Youth Construction, which the Camerababy Elite had defeated them by 6 points in the first game of the tournament. However, at this final game of the tournament, the ending was not as good as the beginning. The Camerababy Elite fell short of the mark at the end by 3 points at 86-89.

“We were all stunned at the last second of the game when Devin’s (Ginty) three-point shot didn’t go in,” commented Coach Ray Johnson. “Congratulations to Pure Youth. They are a well trained team, very discipline and great team work. They have won my biggest respect. It was a great lesson for us.”

The dense atmosphere was evident from the start of the game. Smith led the initial round of attacks for the team. Daniels and Davis were big scorers for the quarter, snatching 13 points between the two of them. Pure Youth appeared to be not as fully engaged as the Camerababy Elite and seemed to not be able to get past the Camerababy Elite's defense. By the end of the quarter, Pure Youth was lagging behind by nine points.

By the second quarter, Pure Youth came back in slightly better conditions. The Camerababy Elite's offenses were stunted by the better defensive rotation. Only Davis managed to keep scoring on Camerababy Elite's side. At the same time, Pure Youth scored steadily past the Camerababy Elite's defenses. Pure Youth ended up six points behind at the end of the second quarter.

The later half of the game saw spectacular performance on both sides. It was like a roller coaster ride of both teams. Pure Youth seemed to pick up spirits during half time and were showering fierce rounds of attacks on the Camerababy Elite in the third quarter. The point guard, Ji Hao Ge, of Pure Youth was unstoppable at this quarter with his 16 points performance. He helped Pure Youth managed a stunning 36 points in third quarter and was leading by 16 points by the end of quarter.

Entering the final quarter with 16 points behind, the Camerababy Elite struck back with full force in the fourth quarter and caught up with Pure Youth with a lightning-fast speed. Their aggressive attacks had forced Terence Dials of Pure Youth, former Ohio State outstanding player, to leave the game with his fifth personal fouls.

At three minutes to the end of the game, the scores were even. The entire stadium was plunged into excitement as the audience watched the two teams overtaking each other. Both teams were running at full force as they battled each other.

At 6 seconds to the end and Pure Youth led by only one point, Chong Kai Zuo of Pure Youth was on the line to shoot two free throws, but he missed both shots. However, this key rebound bounced to the hands of Doug Creighton of Pure Youth, and he quickly put the ball back in the net to help Pure Youth in the lead by three points. The Camerababy Elite attempted to score in the last few seconds by Devin Ginty shooting the three pointer from the corner, but the ball didn’t go in. Camerababy Elite Basketball Team hence lost to Pure Youth Construction by merely three points at 86-89 in the HPB Tournament Final.

“We had our chance to win the game, but we let it went away,” commented Coach Johnson. “If we could grab that last rebound after Pure Youth’s missed free throw, the victory would be ours. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that rebound.”

“It was an unforgettable game for everyone that was there watching or playing the game,” said Michael Hsu, the President of Camerababy Elite Basketball Team. “Sadly, it was an unforgettable loss for us.”