Gwangju Banglim Basketball Club defeated Mancheon Elementary School to win the national championship. Although the team achieved good results, it was evaluated as a valuable experience from a long-term perspective.
Gwangju Banglim Basketball Club defeated Mancheon Elementary School 39-27 in the women’s final of the ‘2025 National Youth Integrated Basketball Tournament’ held at the Yonsei University Gymnasium in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on the 21st. With this victory, Gwangju Banglim Club reached the top for the first time in its second participation in the ‘Youth Integrated Basketball Tournament’.
The performance of 6th grader Song Ji-ah, who dominated offense and defense, was overwhelming. Song Ji-ah, who played 30 minutes and 32 seconds on this day, was responsible for 27 of the team’s 39 points, including two 3-pointers, and was a major contributor to the victory by grabbing a whopping 12 rebounds. Although several key 6th grade players were missing due to the flu, they played their roles well and contributed to the team winning the championship. Jeong Yi-eun, who played 29 minutes and 14 seconds and recorded 2 points and 10 rebounds, was also not left out.
After finishing the game, Coach Song Yoon-gi expressed his thoughts on winning, saying, “It’s a little disappointing that I couldn’t show everything I had prepared, but it was a good experience. Some of the 6th grade players had the flu, so the game was mainly played by 5th grade players, but I think it was a good experience for the 5th grade players. I’m really proud.”
He added, “I wanted to enjoy it (even though it was the final), but I think I was too nervous. I prepared a lot for defense, but it’s disappointing that it didn’t work out. Still, there are about 7 fifth-year players who registered as elite players and this is their first competition. Under these circumstances, I think it’s a great achievement to participate in such a big competition, make it to the finals, and even win.”
On this day, the game was also broadcast live on KBSN Sports. As it was a national tournament, it was held at the Yonsei University gymnasium, where college basketball is played. Coach Song said, “The competition management and other things are different. Official referees also came. The most important thing is that it was broadcast live across the country. This is an experience that cannot be bought even with money. In fact, local teams like ours do not have much to motivate themselves. There are not many professional teams nearby, so there is not much to be attracted to in basketball, but it must have been a great experience for the players to be broadcast nationally and for all my friends to see.”
Song Ji-ah, who became the Distinguished Player in the finals, also expressed her happiness, saying, “It was hard because my friends had some injuries, but it’s okay because we won,” and then laughed about the live broadcast, saying, “I’m worried that my hard work will be shown on the broadcast screen.”
Now, Song Ji-ah goes to Gwangju Supia Girls’ Middle School instead of elementary school and continues her career as an athlete. It is said that they are already participating in some training. Lastly, Song Ji-ah pledged, “I think (training) is a little more difficult and difficult. Still, I will try my best. In the future, I want to become a player like Park Ji-hyun, who is good at attacking and defending.”
