Girls basketball has a long way to go, still…

Thus far, Term I of 2026 has seen the girls' basketball team compete in two different tournaments. First was the Ball Games One Inter-School Tournament and, second, the Inter-School League Games. Our team has fared badly in both. Once again, we have proved to our opponents that we are mere participants rather than serious contenders. What are we repeatedly failing to unlock?

The 2026 team had a total of 20 players. They were coached by Mr. Fidheli and captained by Rwotomiya Ruth Emmanuella (S3). Before their competitive games, the team trained for five weeks. Hoping they were ready for the Ball Games tournament, they successively faced Sacred Heart SS and Pope John Paul II, only to lose in both. The loss disqualified them from progressing to the regionals but, as captain Emmanuella observes, the loss helped them to discover weaknesses within the team, key among them being poor communication.

In the League Games, Ocer played against P. P. Newton and their nemesis Pope John Paul II. Once again, Ocer proved too weak to compete, losing both games and seeing themselves knocked out of the tournament with their heads held low.

Rwotomiya Ruth Emmanuella, captain.

In an attempt to shed light on what might be behind the poor performance, captain Emmanuella says that the 2026 team assembled the youngest team Ocer has ever had; and, presumably because of this, the team struggled seriously and was considered the weakest in both tournaments. Well, following this comment, it may not be too much to surmise that most teams prayed to play Ocer in anticipation of quasi-free points.

Despite the obvious bleak basketball outlook, the captain has remained upbeat, noting that the team did their best and have the potential to do better next time. She quoted her coach in saying, "Nothing is dark enough, ugly enough, or deep enough to change our destiny of becoming good basketball players, because it is in the hands of God, who is greater than all."

Commenting on her role in the team, captain Emmanuella, who plays the position of point guard and biggie in the team, says that she did (and still does) her best to lead and guide her team accordingly, despite many challenges. She is eager to "promote the school and discover my talents which have the potential to open opportunities in the future." She was further encouraged to keep an optimistic spirit by her father's words: "To fight battles, we must have the right strategies and resources because victory does not come by accident." She concludes by saying that "some people consider basketball a waste of time; but to us it is one of the keys that unlock the doors of success."