MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- The stadium roared with excitement as the basketball players of Matthew C. Perry High School faced off against the teams of Tabuse Agricultural Technical High School on Jan. 18, 2015, at the high school gymnasium aboard Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.
Both the girls and boys played against Tabuse Noukou, who traveled from Tabuse Town, Yamaguchi Pref., Japan, to compete against the Lady Samurai and Samurai.
The Super Hydrangeas played the Lady Samurai first, ending with 47-24 win for the Japanese team. Despite their struggle throughout the game, the Lady Samurai were confident in their future success as a growing team.
“We’re working a lot on chemistry and teamwork this season, especially since we have so many new players,” said Naomi Ziola, shooting guard for the team. “We hope we can come together and shine in the upcoming games. Our new players will learn and it’s a lot to work on, but we can do it.”
The Lady Samurai introduced a mix of first-year players this season who are pushing forward to increase their number of wins as they stand with a 4-7 game season.
The Samurai played next and dominated the opposing team with a score of 57-29, raising their season record to 11-0.
Both the Lady Samurai and Samurai have four games left before the Far East Division III tournament and they’re both looking to take home the championship.
“We are doing very well, and we are looking forward to winning the next few games,” said Dwayne Tigge, basketball coach of the Samurai. “Balance throughout the team is important, and as long as we keep that up we’ll continue to do great.”
The Lady Samurai and Samurai are scheduled to play against the Western Japanese Activities Association basketball team in their next games Jan. 23-24, 2015.