AASCA Basketball Recap

The conclusion of the thirtieth hAASCA tournament last month marked the beginning of a new, post-pandemic, era for AST. Our AASCA teams did an amazing job representing AST, finishing in second and third place, respectively.

The AASCA Boys managed to win four of their five games, losing by the small margin of 3 points (46-43) against the hosting school EIS and finishing in second place. The AASCA Girls won five of their six games and managed to end up in third place after beating the Panamerican School of Costa Rica.

Even though our Eagles were not able to bring home the cup, our community is proud of the effort and dedication that they put in during and before the tournament.

As a member of the AASCA Boys team myself, I experienced the disappointment of losing in the finals against our arch rivals, EIS. It was a hard-fought game, which saw both teams taking the lead multiple times. By the third quarter, EIS had taken the lead by seven points and were looking to increase this margin, but our team fought hard to come back. In the end, the game EIS took the lead by three points, 46-43, with AST having possession of the ball. Unfortunately, our team was not able to make a three point shot, and the game ended with us three points behind.

After losing, the only thing I could think of was the amount of work I’d put in along with my teammates leading up to this game. For many, the AASCA basketball tournament is simply another Central American tournament for AST. However, for the players, this tournament carries a significance that goes beyond simply competing to win. To us, playing in AASCA means practicing three hours a day after school to arrive at 7:00 each night to do homework. It means sacrificing our bodies each game even if we are injured or feel stinging pains throughout our bodies. It means overcoming the mental doubt and lack of confidence we so often face after losing a game or trailing by large margins. Above all however, winning this year’s AASCA basketball tournament would have been our way of leaving our legacies at AST to be remembered for generations to come.

This is not to say that all of the hard work and dedication our team put in was wasted because we lost. On the contrary, I really do feel like the dedication and commitment toward playing in AASCA was worth every single minute. From going through strenuous physical training with our physical trainer Mr. Seidel to going to the Coliseum on Thursday nights to play almost each week, our journey to AASCA allowed us to form a family throughout all these experiences. As a senior, I managed to meet and become friends with sophomores and freshmen on the team. I felt the confidence and willingness to be myself amongst the team and give suggestions to incoming sophomores. As a senior, I wanted to win this AASCA because I knew that it would be my last chance to leave my mark as a student athlete. Now as I look back, I know that I have left my legacy in school not as an AASCA basketball champion but as a mentor and friend of the upcoming generation of student athletes. As Mr. Seidel said during the huddle immediately after the loss of the final game, “In sports, fall in love with the process leading up to success rather than success itself.” To me, this quote perfectly depicts what this AASCA basketball tournament was truly about for both of our teams.