| Badminton's epic comeback victory delivers AAA title (5/08) | | Print | |
| Written by Jenny Ng | |
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It was the most nerve-wracking game of the badminton season.
Lowell battled against Washington for the championship title on May 16. The Eagles were the Cardinals’ biggest competition this season; the girls’ badminton team knew what they were up against, and they knew the Eagles were not going to hand over the title so easily. The game started with senior Sophia Li’s singles match. Li, a veteran player, brought a lot of experience to the court. However, her Washington opponent was equally as experienced, and the two fought hard for every point. After a long battle that went point-for-point, Li came up short and Washington took the match. Freshman Naomi Leung stepped up for the second singles match. Leung replaced injured senior singles player Joanne Poon, instead of freshman Oriana Chiu, who had previously been filling in for Poon because Chiu was needed to play doubles. Even though she was going up against a more experienced player, Leung played hard. She displayed stellar defense, yet struggled with her offense. Leung should have hit more birdies down rather than straight towards the backcourt, making it harder for her opponent to come back. The match proved that experience does play a part in victory, as Leung fell short. At the end of the singles matches, the Cardinals were down by two matches. With three more matches to go, the Cardinals needed to win all of them in order to secure the game and championship title. Senior Nancy Mei and Chiu went up against the first Washington doubles pair. Having played together as doubles partners earlier in the season, Mei and Chiu’s teamwork and cooperation came in handy against the Eagles. As All-City’s top doubles pair, power couple Mei and Chiu was the pair to beat. They took on an effective attack strategy, hitting their opponents with smashes and fast hits which the Eagles could not return. Seniors Joyce Lew and Tiffany Wong took on the second Eagles doubles pair. After playing together for two years, they complimented each other very well. Each Cardinal player knew exactly when to help out her partner or go for the birdie herself. Lew and Wong were skillfully spread out in the backcourts and forecourts, which caused the Eagles to have a hard time breaking their defense. The match started out strong in favor of the Cardinals but as the match went on, Washington stepped up their game. “(Washington) was really good,” Lew said. “We knew they were going to be tough and I wasn’t surprised they played really well.” Liu and Wong eventually came out on top and won the match. Juniors Kerry Ho and Christina Lee faced the third Eagle pair in the tie-breaking match. Ho and Lee played consistently with good defense and offense. With the pressure of the championship title on their shoulders, Ho and Lee retreated to safe playing and let the Eagles’ mistakes lead to their demise. In the end, Ho and Lee proved best and won not only their match, but also the AAA title. With that win, the girls managed to do the impossible. Coming back and winning all three doubles matches, the girls’ badminton team tasted victory and won the championship. Most Valuable Player The Lowell’s choice for most valuable player is senior Joanne Poon. Although Poon was sidelined for half the season, her leadership and knowledge of the game of badminton consistently shined, even from the sidelines. On the court, Poon had never lost a match until her injury in an early season game against the Eagles. Poon always brought her “A” game, making her the top player on the team. Off the court, Poon is a natural leader, always motivating other team members to push themselves to do better. Poon “is really supportive and gives great direction,” Lew said. “She is a good player and helps everyone even when she’s not playing.” |
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to listen.
