Story By Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by REDintern Clara Yuan

Leon Sim (CSS #12) attempts to score. (Photo 1 © REDintern Clara Yuan)

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Singapore Basketball Centre, Wednesday, February 12, 2014 — Yishun Secondary (YSS) scraped past Canberra Secondary (CS) 47–41 in the second round of the North Zone B Division Boys Basketball Championship. Lim Teck Leong (Canberra #7) had a game-high 16 points, while Leon Lee (YSS #15) and Zhou Qun Shan (YSS #5) had 13 points apiece to lead their team.

The win puts Yishun joint-second in Group Y with a 3–1 win-loss record. Yishun have a likely chance of qualifying for the semi-finals, with rivals Christ Church due to face Presbyterian High in their final game. The loss relegates Canberra to joint-fourth with a 2–2 record.

Yishun’s man-to-man marking early in the first quarter troubled Canberra. They were able to force multiple turnovers, leading to fast breaks on the other end. Yishun started the quarter on a 10–0 run. The Canberra defence steadied the ship later on, forcing Yishun into bad shots. This allowed Canberra back into the game, ending the quarter down only 8–13.

The second quarter saw a scoring slump by both teams. They were unable to get good looks at the rim, forcing shots off on both ends. Yishun tried to exploit their size advantage down low but the Canberra frontline showed good awareness to shove their opponents out of a comfortable position. This completely negated Yishun’s strategy. Canberra were able to generate turnovers a couple of times in the quarter, but were unable to finish on the other end. This stalemate saw Yishun go into the break up 22–18.

The third quarter saw Canberra mainly taking advantage of Yishun sloppinessby deflecting away their weak passes for easy turnovers. Yishun responded in kind, finally using the height of Leon Lee (YSS #15) to grab rebounds and help stem Canberra’s scoring.

The final quarter saw Yishun initially pulling away, as Canberra’s offence started to stagnate. Nobody on the Canberra front line had an answer for Leon (YSS #15), whose height gave him a significant physical advantage. This continued until a couple of minutes were left when Yishun visibly ran out of steam. Canberra mounted a mini-comeback, making the Yishun bench even more tense with each basket made. They ultimately failed in their endeavour, allowing Yishun to prevail 47–41.

Yishun captain, Leon Lee (#15) said, “Overall it was not bad. We managed to accomplish our goals and outrebound them. We did not manage to make enough fast breaks. We have to improve on our defence and communicate more.”

Scoring by Quarter
Yishun Secondary vs Canberra Secondary
1st Quarter: 13–8
2nd Quarter: 9–10 (22–18)
3rd Quarter: 9–9 (31–27)
4th Quarter: 16–14 (47–41)

Top Scorers
Yishun Secondary
Leon Lee (#15) – 13 points
Zhou Qun Shan (#5)- 13 points

Canberra Secondary
Lim Teck Leong (#7) – 16 points

Yishun Secondary Roster
Levin Yeo (#4), Zhou Qun Shan (#5), Chong Zhao Hui (#6), Gan Hong Jie (#7), Eden Oh (#8), Ong Zi Wen (#9), Dion Low (#10), Benjamin Cheong (#11), Zhang Wei Hong (#12), Zhu Zhi Qiang (#13), Nay Myo Naing (#14), Leon Lee (#15)

Canberra Secondary Roster
Tan Jian Xiang Dion (#4), Fok Goon Teng (#5), Ryan Wong (#6), Lim Teck Leong (#7), Lee Xuan Yan (#8), Tan Yi Yong (#9), Alex Neo Boon Chong (#10), Wong Jie Hong (#11), Leon Sim Tze Hao (#12), Lim Jun Heng (#13), Harold Valdez Espino (#14), Gavin Lim Wen Bin (#15)

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