The girls’ team, Fukui Tech, advanced to the third round, but unfortunately lost, and the boys’ Hokuriku team was eliminated in the first round, taking part in the SoftBank Winter Cup 2025, the pinnacle of high school basketball. Among them, Tech Fukui, which is showing strong progress, played in the third round against Ohka Gakuen, the Aichi representative team that won the Summer Inter-High Tournament and boasts 23 wins in the Winter Cup. In the first quarter, ④ Koike of the Fukui Institute of Technology scored many points, but the score was reversed and they had a 3-point lead. In the second quarter, thanks to the efforts of 187cm international student Sajo Rei and Koike, they were able to catch up and take a 5-point lead. In the second half, the teams traded points, but Tech Fukui lost by just three points, 78-81, and did not advance to the top eight. Despite being a team made up of only first and second year students in their second year of existence, Fukui Tech put up a good fight to corner Ohka Gakuen, the favorites for the championship. Next, they will represent Hokushinetsu in the final round of the Empress’s Cup All-Japan Championship, which begins in Tokyo on January 5th, and will play against Hakuoh University.
Meanwhile, seeded Hokuriku, making their 48th appearance in 47 consecutive tournaments, faced Kyoto representative Kyoto Seika Gakuen in the Summer Inter-High Best 4. Although they had an early lead in the first quarter, the score gradually narrowed and the score was tied at 25-25. In the second quarter, Hokuriku made a number of shooting mistakes and steals that resulted in their passes being cut off, leading to a score of 40-49 at halftime. In the third quarter, Faye Benjamin, a 2-meter-tall first-year international student, tried to attack with dunk shots, but the lead could not be narrowed. Although they regained the lead with 6 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, they continued to score points, and in the end they lost by two points, 76-78, and were eliminated in the first match.
