CAL Green Ravens women’s basketball team fighting all-out spite of lacking hoops skills

James Danio

October 22, 2023

Bulacan State University had just finished a week-long school intramurals from October 16 to October 20, following the midterm examinations of the students.

The Palarong Pampamantasan is exactly what the students need after a week of grueling exams and late-night study sessions. It is what gives the campus a happier atmosphere and fosters excitement and camaraderie among the students.

However, it's challenging for the CAL Basketball Women's team to perform on a Saturday without an audience and the necessary preparation.

The College of Arts and Letters Green Ravens is one of the first teams in women's basketball to play before the official opening of the Palarong Pampamantasan. The games held on October 14 were supposed to be an elimination round.

The Green Ravens gave it their all in order to be ready for their games, despite having less time to practice. They focused on refining their skills and strategies during the limited practice time they had. The team members put in extra effort to ensure that they were mentally and physically prepared for the upcoming matches.

The team only had 5 days of practice rounds, and they were not always complete due to the conflicting schedules of the members. However, they made the most of the time they had together, maximizing each practice session to make significant improvements. The Ravens understood the importance of teamwork and communication.

Midterm examinations and those practices both took place in the same week. Playing two worlds is a great act, no doubt about it. The team was determined to give their best performance in both the exams and the upcoming matches.

They recognized the challenges of balancing academics and sports, but their dedication and hard work allowed them to excel in both realms. There is also no denying that they had fun during their practices, which makes those moments count.

To their dismay, the tune-up game against the College of Criminal Justice Education (CCJE) was treated like a child's play as the opposing team had their bench players play against CAL.

In the official game, CCJE played with their best players and won against CAL. The Ravens were at a disadvantage because they didn't know the other team's strategy.

Despite a tragic loss against the CCJE, the team thrived to get their first win against the College of Science basketball team, claiming the victory with a score of 14-16.

Editha Yumol made the clutch game-winning backboard shot, preventing the attempt by CS to push the game to overtime and securing the first win of the Green Ravens.

The team lacks one of the most fundamental roles of a point guard position who orchestrates plays, as none of them knows how to dribble and pass naturally, which led to loads of turnovers and high chances of losing in every game.

The team finished their journey with pride and a smile regardless of only winning one of three games because, despite being one of the non-athletic teams, they had fought with all of their hearts and dedication to represent the College of Arts and Letters in the field of sports.

Keywords: Palarong Pampamantasan; CAL; women’s basketball; Bulacan State University; intramurals; camaraderie; Green Ravens; pride; teamwork; dedication

CAL Women’s Basketball Team’s first match on October 14, against the CCJE (Photo by James Danio)