One of the highlights of the XLIS athletics calendar is the Chang’an Cup. The Chang’an Cup is a yearly U19 invitational basketball tournament organized by XLIS for students enrolled at international schools or international high school programs in Xi’an. The tournament was first held in January 2021 with eleven teams from seven schools all located in Xi’an. This year was the biggest edition yet, with seventeen teams from eleven schools participating, including the first school from outside of Xi’an.
The tournament took place over the course of three days, with the festivities beginning on Thursday, January 18th in the boys’ division. The XLIS Blue Dragons kicked off the tournament in front of a packed gymnasium and to the tune of the XLIS band. The home fans weren’t disappointed as the XLIS Blue Dragons were able to earn a narrow 34-32 victory.
The tournament continued into Friday with the addition of the girls’ division to the action. The XLIS girls played two games in front of the home crowd on Friday, picking up two close wins: 12-7 and 14-10. These wins meant the girls had earned a “bye” into the semi-finals on Saturday.
Over in the boys’ division, only four teams remained in contention to be crowned champions after Friday: Xi’an International School (XIS), Gaoxin No. 1 High School (GXYZ), Xi’an Foreign Language School (XFLS), and Kang Chiao Xi’an (KCIS). Unfortunately for the home crowd, the XLIS Blue Dragons were beat in the quarter finals and would play in the consolation bracket on Saturday.
The final day of the tournament saw several close, intense games played by both the girls and the boys. In each division the final game would be a rematch of the 2023 championship: XFLS vs KCIS in the boys’ division, and Hanova vs XLIS in the girls’ division.
The boys’ division final was a nailbiter, with the score being tied with four minutes remaining. The lead changed hands multiple times in the last four minutes, including a pair of three pointers in the final 40-seconds. Ultimately, XFLS was able to hang on to the win and earn their first Chang’an Cup title with a 36-35 victory.
In the girls’ division, the game was almost as close. The XLIS Blue Dragons came out to a hot start and took an early 6-0 lead over the Hanova Hawks. However, Hanova slowly clawed their way back in the game and upped their defensive presence to limit the XLIS scoring. The game ended with Hanova winning 19-10 and taking home their second consecutive Chang’an Cup trophy.
The tournament concluded with a trophy ceremony where both team and individual successes were celebrated. Students from different schools were seen exchanging WeChat contacts and taking photos with one another. It is the hope of the tournament organizers that all participating students have fond memories of the Chang’an Cup as a highlight of their high school years in Xi’an.
Author:
Zachary Dwyer (MYP Physical and Health Education Teacher, ACAMIS Athletics Coordinator)
