Lady Panthers finish the weekend 2-2.

The Lady Panthers are exhausted, aching and (some) injured... just like the end of an exchange weekend should be. They are tired, but smiling contentedly from an overall performance which indicated that they have a good deal of potential to carry forward with them as they continue to work toward the upcoming IASAS tournament in February.  Things look promising indeed.

Following Friday's victory over JIS, the Lady Panthers lost a run-and-gun shootout against a Selangor Select team 67-55.  Later in the day the Panthers were able to overcome their cross-town rivals Mont Kiara International School in the first of many clashes of this season 49-32.  Both games featured presses on both sides of the floor and a good deal of fast breaks. The major difference was that the Panthers, who missed close to 15 lay ups in the morning game, came back to be nearly flawless from under the basket against Mont Kiara.

Sunday morning found them playing a rejuvenated Jakarta International School team that was looking for revenge for their loss from Friday night. This time JIS was too strong and did everything right. The Panthers, staying close for much of the first half (down by 8 at half time), were unable to deal with JIS's offensive weapons and size in the second half.  The final result was a 55-33 defeat to the Dragons to finish off a long and tiring, but highly rewarding weekend.

The Panthers will rest on Monday and Tuesday and recuperate physically and emotionally, and then return to practice on Wednesday in preparation for a Thursday game at Mont Kiara and a Saturday league game versus the Selangor B team. 

Panthers Beat Jakarta in a Thriller!

The Lady Panthers returned to the gym after a day off to face IASAS runner up Jakarta International School this evening. It was a nervous start for both teams as the JIS Dragons started the game without key starters. For the first quarter the game went basket for basket for each team with no one taking a commanding lead. Finally the Dragons jumped out to a five point lead early in the second quarter.

The Lady Panthers made necessary adjustments to their defensive formation, moving to a 2-3 zone defense and putting on a 3/4 court press in place of a more traditional 3-2 zone used at the outset. The results were much better as the Panthers caught up and, led by Yoon Hei Cho, made up the difference going into half time.

The second half saw a continuation of the hard-nosed play from both teams, with a good deal of ball movement. JIS attempted to take advantage of their size as they pushed the ball into the key, while the Panthers used their perimeter movement more successfully as the game wore on.  The dual approach of full court pressure and offensive plurality allowed the Lady Panthers to take a three point lead by the end of the third quarter. 

As the pressure mounted and both teams tried to get the upper hand, the fourth quarter quickly turned into a battle of will.  As the Panthers had a hard time dealing with the pressure in the key, they could not rely on their regular show of points from Taylor Pewitt. Instead, it was Larissa Kuscher who kept them going in the second half. Added to this were some clutch shots from Laurel Smith, Lauren McMillan and Mora Grehl to ice the game.

The Panthers led with 4 with just under 2 minutes remaining in the game and, as the seconds wound down, it was evident that this time they would not let the game slip away. They held on and dealt very well with the full court JIS pressure to finish off the game with a hard-earned 43-39 victory, their first IASAS level win in three years!

Selangor State a Good Learning Opportunity

Sometimes you have to play against teams that are much more experienced. Sometimes you need to use games as learning experiences and grow as the game progresses. This was just such a game.

The Selangor State team which will be playing in the Malaysian National Championships came into town tonight and outplayed the less experienced Lady Panthers at most levels. Taller, faster and more powerful the Selangor State team was simply overpowering for the Panthers. That being the case, the Panthers used the game as a learning opportunity and a chance to grow and deal with high pressure situations including full and half court presses and trapping.

The final score, a 60-32 loss, was probably an accurate reflection of the difference in experience between the two teams at this juncture of the season. We use it, however, as a chance to recognize the level of play we need to strive for, and to develop solid movement and communication both offensively and defensively.

The Lady Panthers hope this experience will come in handy as they look forward to the four games over the weekend. These should provide a better indication of our level of preparation against teams of our level and experience as we take on the Jakarta International School Friday and Sunday and Mont Kiara on Saturday.

Panthers Come Up Short in a thriller

Missing three players (Zarina, Shoko and Casey) and having to wait for an hour-long delay in game four the Lady Panthers were, none-the-less, intent on starting off strong against a tall Selangor A team.

For the first few minutes the Panthers seemed to be quite nervous as they turned the ball over on six of their first eight possessions. However, as the game progressed the Panthers were able to deal with the intense Selangor helf-court and full court pressure and put up some pressure of their own. The 3-2 defense worked quite well for them as the game went back and forth throughout.

The final quarter found the Panthers down by 5 with two minutes remaining. A frantic full-court pressure to finish off the game saw the Panthers come to within one with thirty seconds left to play, but they could not finish on top, losing in a heart breaker 37-34.

The Panthers were, once again, led by Taylor Pewitt with14 points, and Yoon Hei Cho added another 10 for good measure. The fourth quarter of the game was arguably the most intense defensive effort of the year and the Panthers showed that they can compete against anyone.

The coaches were content with the performance and particularly the defensive effort, even if the result was not ideal.

The Lady Panthers hit the floor again tonight at 6 pm, playing against another Selangor Team.

Lady Panthers come up Big in game three!

After two difficult losses to open the season and after a long break between games the Lady Panthers returned to the scene of their last defeat, the Cheras Community Recreation Center on Saturday.

Having been two weeks since their last game the Panthers were pumped up and ready to roll for this one. The past weeks were spent working on defensive adjustments and on playing with aggression and it became obvious from the tip-off that practice was about to pay off. A solid half-court press resulted in three early turnovers for the opposition as the Lady Panthers started strong and never looked back. Scoring 18 points in the first quarter was just a start and, though there were lulls in the offensive production, the Panthers were moving, passing, spacing themselves very well on offense. Defensively they played with poise, patience and a good deal of agression.

The result was largely due to a great performance by Mora Grehl, who led the team at point, Taylor Pewitt, who scored a career high 22 points and collected a good number of offensive boards as well, and Lauren McMillan whose improvement has been marked under the boards. resulting in a season-high eight points. Joined by Larissa Kushcer whose play was excellent on both ends of the floor and Yoon Hei Cho's eight points on offense, this was a great team effort. The performance of each and every player was far superior to earlier showings. Of particular note was the ease of offensive change-over when presented with different defensive 'looks' from the opposing team.

After a long-fought battle the Lady Panthers had managed their first win of the season and seem to be much more cohesive as a team on the court. The final score of 56-27 was a testament to the work the girls have put into their game in the past two weeks and a hopeful glimpse of their potential.

We look forward to an action-packed week of games next week, starting with a 7:30 pm game versus team Gary A. We hope to see a good number of parents, family and friends there to support our Panthers!!

Thursday Game rescheduled... Happy Thanksgiving!

Due to the significance of Thanksgiving Day for our US citizens, it was deemed appropriate to re-schedule the originally-planned Thursday night game to Wednesday at 6:00 pm. In lieu of a game, Thursday can now be appropriately spent celebrating all that we have to be thankful for. A very Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Game Schedule set for Next Week

After a long hiatus of game drought, suddenly the floodgates have opened and a deluge of games have been slated for next week. The schedule includes the first game versus Mont Kiara and two games versus our IASAS foe Jakarta International School. Given the number of games, it would be great to see many family members and friends there supporting your very own Lady Panthers!

Tuesday, November 25: Home vs Gary Team A @ 7:30 pm
Thursday, November 27: Home vs Gary Team B @ 7:30 pm
Friday, November 28: Home vs Jakarta International School @ 7:00 pm
Saturday, November 29: Home vs KL Select @ 10:30 am
Saturday, November 29: At Melawati vs Mont Kiara @ 2:30 pm
Sunday, November 30: Home vs Jakarta International School @ 9:30 am

Please note that all games are accurately noted as of November 22nd but sometimes there are changes made to the schedule due to unforeseen circumstances. Please check in with the Activities and Athletics Office to confirm.

Get to know the team... Yuna

Yuna, a Korean national, is in her second year with the Panthers. She has much to catch up on, however, as she missed nearly the entire season last year with an ACL injury to her knee. She spent much of last season coming to practices and making sure that teammates were supported, giving tireless hours of effort into the team regardless of the fact that she could not play. This year she is handling both the physical exertion and the pressure of playing time very effectively, largely due to a work ethic second to none.

Yuna plays the wing position most of the time but, from time to time, is asked to cover for posts as well. This means she has much to learn, adding to the learning curve. But she has always taken every new challenge with a smile and with an attitude that says "I can do it". She has impressed both coaches and teammates with her hard working approach to playing the sport and is a great addition to the depth of the squad.

Outside of basketball Yuna plays soccer. She loves to chat and is seen with a near constant smile on her face at any time.

Get to know the team... Naomi

Naomi is a spark plug. A first year player from Japan, she transferred into ISKL last spring. The initial impression she made was a loud one with her playing tenacious defense and yelling "ball, ball, ball" when pressuring the opposing players. She has since been asked by the referees to keep it down, something which visibly frustrates her. Luckily it doesn't get in the way of her tenacity as a defensive player.

A junior, Naomi plays the position of point guard. Though rather short she is often seen driving straight through the opposing players on her way to the hoop. Likewise, she lives to put pressure on the ball. Naomi looks to improve this year and learn a new system of play while continuing to draw from her excellent work ethic. Her attitude has impressed most of those with whom she comes into contact as she is always her own worse critic. This gives her motivation to push herself even harder and improve both skills and understanding of a new system of play.

Outside of basketball, Naomi played JV soccer this year. Happy and go-lucky most of the time she can be seen in the halls chatting with her group of new friends at ISKL. We have happy as can be to have her on the team.

Get to know the team... Yoon Hei

Yoon Hei claims to be Korean, but by the way she likes to play ball you'd think she's grown up in the streets of Queens or Chicago. A natural street-baller, Yoon Hei is the clutch shooter of the team. She is happy and smiling much of the time and is a natural shooter from mid-range. She has been at ISKL for a number of years and is the only member of the program to have come up through the ranks, from under-13, to under-15, to JV and finally, by ninth grade, to the varsity where she is currently playing for the third straight season.

A junior, Yoon Hei has, until last year, been the top scorer of the team, even in her relative youth. Last year she was fortunate to pair up with Taylor and, together they now make quite a pair or prolific scorers. Yoon Hei's adaptability allows her to play in both the post and guard positions and she is equally comfortable at both.

Outside of basketball, Yoon Hei plays varsity volleyball, having represented ISKL in two IASAS tournaments and socializes a good deal. You can see her chatting up a storm in the junior section at any time of day and with any group of people. A natural extrovert, Yoon Hei is comfortable with any crowd, making her a cultural chameleon of sorts.

Get to know the team... Taylor

Taylor is excited, loves to work on her alley-oop (we wonder if she will actually get to use it) and is, in many ways, the heart and soul of this year's team. When asked what she thinks of basketball she smiles broadly and immediately shoots out a spirited, "I LOVE IT!". A junior, Taylor hails from the USA (Oklahoma) and is happy as can be on the basketball court.

Taylor is in her second year with the Lady Panthers and is a formidable player under the boards. Last year's top scorer at IASAS, Taylor has been chosen as captain of the team this year. She plays in the post position, and certainly does the lion's share of the work under the baskets. A solid all-round player, she also helps out in the wing position from time to time. Inspired by a family tradition of basketball Taylor is one of two "clutch" players on this team.

Taylor is a true basketball player. She lives, sleeps, dreams basketball. But when basketball season is done, she can be seen playing soccer or doing track & field. Between her participation in summer camps and individual shooting sessions, Taylor amassed 5,750 shots over the off-season to become the first member of the ISKL "Girls Shot Club" to surpass the 5,000 mark! Did we mention that she lives for basketball?

Get to know the team... Zarina

Zarina calmly sits while the other girls chat and scream and shout in team ratherings. Her demeanor is quiet and respectful. She is calm, collected. She smiles and does "her thing" and moves on. She doesn't steal the lime light, but neither is she easily forgotten.

Zarina, a Malaysian native, has been playing on the Lady Panthers for the past two years. As one of just two seniors, she brings with her a good deal of IASAS experience and poise. We hope to capitalize on that experience as the season progresses. On the Lady Panthers Zarina plays in the wing position, with an excellent shot from the elbow being a normal part of her daily repertoire.

In the off-season Zarina enjoys playing soccer and softball. In both sports she has played at the varsity level consistently over the past couple years and has represented ISKL at numerous IASAS competitions, most notably leading the softball panthers to the bronze medal in last year's tournament from the mound.

Get to know the team... Larissa

Larissa hails from Austria, but you wouldn't know it from talking to her in the hallway. A product of an international school for much of her life, Larissa has developed not only a positive social approach to life - giggling and humor could be considered her favorite pass time - but also a very US-sounding English accent.

Larissa hails as the only four-year varsity player in the Lady Panthers roster. As a senior, she looks forward to making this year, her second as captain, a very memorable one. Larissa plays in the wing and point guard positions. Over the past few years Larissa has been awarded numerous team awards and has been chosen on IASAS all-tournament team as well. Needless to say, she is the backbone of the team and we look to her for solid leadership throughout the season!

Apart from basketball, Larissa enjoys soccer and socializing. When she's not doing her academics (the IB can be so demanding!) she is usually seen with friends, perhaps at one of the many KL malls. :-)

Lady Panthers come up short, but have a great 4th quarter

The Lady Panthers played the second game of their young season yesterday against a KL Select Team from Putra Jaya. The opponent, like the last one, was a high-caliber team of select players from the region outside of Kuala Lumpur. The Lady Panthers found it difficult to set their own tempo despite working throughout the week on ways to break the press and dealing with man-to-man pressure. As it turns out the Lady Panthers had three quarters of frustration and difficulty with KL-PJ.

The first half found the Lady Panthers behind and only having scored 8 points on offense. The third quarter was even more difficult. But in the fourth quarter the Lady Panthers put together a string of great defensive stands using a half-court pressure defense. The adjustment to a 3-2 defense also helped. The defensive stands led to a number of turnovers which, in turn, led to a number of offensive opportunities.

Though the final score (a 62-28 loss) was not what we had hoped going into the game, and leaves the Lady Panthers 0-2 for the season, the fourth quarter gave glimpses of the level of play that the Lady Panthers can reach. It should be noted that, apart from a good number of forced turnovers, the Lady Panthers scored 17 points in the fourth quarter alone, hustled on both sides of the floor, played a tenacious defense and generally showed a great improvement to the first game of the season.

We look to take this to next week's games, which will match the Lady Panthers up against a KL Select team on Saturday at 4:30 pm. But, for the time being, it's back to practice and hard work for the Lady Panthers.

Let the games begin...

With just two practices as a team, the Lady Panther's were off to the races as they began their season with an intense challenger. The inauguration of the 1st ISKL Invitational League, featuring high-level teams from KL Select, Selangor Select and Cheras Select took place just this morning and will continue on Saturdays during November, December and January.

The Lady Panthers, in just their first game, and already without the services of Larissa Kuscher, Zarina Othman (both away for external examinations) and Mora Grehl (ankle injury), took on a highly-touted KL Select team, with game time slated for 10:30 am.

It was a hard fought game with the Lady Panthers keeping up well for the first quarter. However, as the game progressed their lack of experience (as a team) and their lack of stamina seemed to get the better of them. The full-court pressure put forth by KL Select was overwhelming for the young Panthers, leading to a number of turnovers. By the time the clocked struck 00:00 the Panthers found themselves at the tail end of a 91-43 score.

Post-game comments focused on things necessary for development, but some highlights were also noted, including six scorers in total and 3 in double digits. The Lady Panthers were led by junior captain Taylor Pewitt's 12 points.

It's back to practice on Monday.

Welcome to the 2008-09 season!

Welcome to the new and improved format of the Lady Panther Press!
After a long and grueling period of try outs the Lady Panther's have been chosen. Coaches Myers, Anders and Pewitt are looking forward to working with this year's team:

#4 - Laurel Smith ('11)
#5 - Yuna Chong ('10)
#6 - Shoko Hirata ('11)
# 7 - Deborah Jung ('11)
# 8 - Mora Grehl ('11)
#9 - Naomi Hirano ('10)
#10 - Yoon Hei Cho ('10)
#12 - Zarina Othman ('09)
#11 - Larissa Kuscher ('09) - Captain
#13 - Taylor Pewitt ('10) - Captain
#14 - Casey Broussard ('11)
# 15 - Lauren McMillan ('10)

Welcome to 2008-09 Lady Panther Basketball!!