Basketball, a fabulous Season!
Senior Boys Basketball
The season began with plenty of enthusiasm and excitement. A large group of boys turned up for pre-season training and after a number of training sessions some difficult decisions were made and a final squad was chosen. Training was going well, but we knew we did not have the firepower to outgun MKS and we were right! It was a tough first match, but we regrouped and trained hard for our next match against IKNS. Usually, this is a winnable fixture, but, unfortunately, this year, the standard of Senior Boys Volleyball in the League has been exceptionally high. We ended up playing very well all year, but ended without any victories. The enthusiasm never once wavered, however, and we have high hopes for next year. A special mention must go to Captain Jean Boujakli and Donovan Mongelos, who will not be returning next year. As for the rest of the squad – we will be back better (and hopefully taller) next season!
The squad was made up of:
| Feras Fayez | Cezar Musharrafiyyah |
| Ayman Anwar | Mert Ekici |
| Yousif Abu-Hamad | Yaseen Le Falher |
| Sami Al Alawi | Masood Hasan |
| Ishaan Mittal | Jean Boujakli |
| Jonas Abdelwaha | Donovan Mongelos |
| Hamza Jawad |
Senior Girls Basketball – League and Tournament Runners Up
The Senior Girls Basketball Team have had a remarkable season. The squad was made up of 15 players. The commitment and enthusiasm from all the girls were incredible. Captain Reema Kaiali, Coach Carol Harris and myself had a difficult decision to choose a team each week.
| Match | Score |
| St Chris v MKS | W 38 – 8 |
| St Chris v IKNS | W 38 – 17 |
| St Chris v Bahrain | L 31 – 49 |
| St Chris v RVIS | W 35 – 4 |
| St Chris v BSB | W 25 – 5 |
| S Chris v Bayan | W 30 – 0 |
We had six schools to play against in the BPSSL league. We did very well, losing just one game to Bahrain School in both the League and the end of season Tournament.
BPSSL Tournament Final
“The BPSSL end of season tournament took place at Bayan School on Monday 25 April. It was a nail biting final game from start to finish. There were only 2 points in it at the end of the third quarter. Final score, we lost 28-18! A great ending to a tense and exciting tournament” Mrs Stewart
Team Players
Back left to right: Joanna Thomas, Cristina Clark, Carmen Carritt, Kiana Mongelos, Raiya Thomure
Front left to right: Aishwarya Krishnan, Aarti Rangarajan, Cayla Harris, Reema Kaiali, Emma Blackmore
Team Players
Back left to right: Coach Carol Harris, Gabriella Liandu, Cristina Clark, Reema Kaiali, Raiya Thomure, Kiana Mongelos, Mrs Stewart
Front left to right: Aarti Rangarajan, Kianna Legg, Megan Docherty, Cayla Harris, Carmen Carritt
Missing: Zeina Muhtadi
Intermediate Boys Basketball
St Christopher’s School Intermediate Boys Basketball squad had an outstanding season this year in the Bahrain Private Schools Sports League. In the final tournament, St Christopher’s grew stronger throughout the knock out stages after beating the Bahrain School 13-12. In the final game, we faced our old rivals, the MKS, The atmosphere was tense at the beginning of the game as each team’s defensive and attacking strategy was outstanding. We were without a basket for 5 minutes with both teams unable to capitalise on two strong teams. Eventually, we managed to creep ahead and put MKS under pressure which lifted the team’s confidence. After the successful baskets, our attacking formation was evident as the boys started to create space and believed in their own ability to win the game. The pressure grew as more and more attempts at scoring were being made, testing the defence on many occasions. In the final minute, MKS scored an excellent basket from outside of the three point line to win the game. Overall, it was an outstanding show by both teams and the sportsmanship was impressive. Well done to all on a great season.
Intermediate Girls Basketball – League and Tournament Winners!!!
The Intermediate Girls Basketball Team has had a very successful season, winning both the League Festivals and then winning the Championship Tournament Final.
| Match | Score |
| League Festival 1 | 1st place |
| League Festival 2 | 1st place |
| Championship Tournament Final | WINNERS! |
“The BPSSL Championship Tournament Final took place at Bayan School on Wednesday 11 May. It was an exhilarating final game from start to finish. It was a draw with 15 seconds to go and Erica Moolman scored the winning point from a ‘free throw’. Final score, 9-8! A great ending to a tense and exciting tournament” Mrs Stewart
Team Players
Back left to right: Stephanie Hall, Danielle Wilkinson, Erica Moolman, Sahana Prasad, Elligh Sissons
Front left to right: Manni Zhang, Luna Dreyer, Alison Ross
Team Players
Standing left to right: Elligh Sissons, Luna Dreyer, Stephanie Hall, Erica Moolman, Kayla Herdman-Grant, Danielle Wilkinson, Manni Zhang
Kneeling: Sahana Prasad (Captain)
Missing: Saja Kabalaoui, Kirthi Padmanabhan and Shivaani Iyer
Under 13 Boys Basketball League Winners and Tournament Champions
The Under 13 Basketball Squad have had an amazing season, displaying a very high level of individual and team talent. The squad remained undefeated all season. They were victorious in both the League Competitions and went onto win the Champions Tournament Finals, playing the British School in the final. The team was captained by Colby Altman who said after the final that he would like to thank all his team for all their effort in training and matches over the season and was delighted with their performance in the Final.
Coaches: Rob Subbiani and Callum McIntyre
Squad
| Callum Dawson | Roshan Rahamathullah |
| Murray Gardiner | Mohammed Al Shehab |
| Colby Altman – Captain. | Vedant Kalyani |
| Luca Santiago | Fares Al Katanani |
| Rakan da Cruz | Ali Alqamish |
| Fritz Tautenhahn | Adam Musharrafiyyah |
| Faris Al Khalo | Kareem Bagaeen |
| Luanga Kasanga |
Junior Girls Basketball
Even from the first training session of the season, there was a great turn out with students showing lots of potential and enthusiasm. There were increasing numbers every week, adding more and more rising Basketball stars. Our first two tournaments in the South League started off well, beating both BSB and Bayan comfortably. We were narrowly beaten in both matches against IKNS, showing great displays of keenness, even when IKNS scored. St Chris girls were Runners-up in the South League, getting us through to the Semi-Finals! We were strong in the first half, scoring the first basket of the match, but our squad was closely beaten in the end. However, we then went on to beat the French School 28 – 0, a great finish to the season! We came a very respectable 3rd place in the whole League, consisting of 8 teams. It has been a great season and the whole team has improved so much!
Captain: Charlotte Axtell
Player of the Season: Amy Brereton Stuart
Most Improved player: Rawan Haq
