Story by Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports and REDintern Laura Lee
John Christopher (Unity #6) goes for the layup against Bukit Panjang. John recorded 37 points, including an impressive seven three-pointers to lead Unity. (Photo 1 © Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports)
Clementi Sports Hall, Friday, February 28, 2014 — Unity Secondary emerged 84–71 victors in a hard-fought battle against Bukit Panjang Government High (BP) in the second round of the West Zone B Division Boys Basketball Championship. John Christopher (Unity #6) made seven three-pointers en route to 37 points to lead all scorers, while Jerald Goh (BP #13) had 22 points to pace his team.
The win puts Unity at the top of Group Y with a perfect 5–0 win–loss record, while Bukit Panjang finished second with a 4–1 record. Both teams have successfully qualified for the semi-final on Wednesday, March 5, at 2pm at Clementi Sports Hall. Unity will face off against New Town Secondary, while Bukit Panjang will face Jurong Secondary in the other semi-final.
Unity put on an unusually hot shooting display, quite unlike their previous games in the second round. They scored a total of 13 threes, with John Christopher (Unity #6) and Yong-An (Unity #5) accounting for 11 of them.
Unity took the lead in the first quarter through fast breaks. John Christopher (Unity #6) was very active on defence, stealing the ball multiple times for Unity scores. Jerald (BP #13) shouldered the scoring load for BP, scoring six points in the quarter.
Bukit Panjang mounted a push for the lead in the second quarter, cutting the lead to three at one point. This all came to a sudden halt when Vignesh (BP #11) found himself in foul trouble. He picked up his fourth foul of the game with four minutes left in the second quarter, which relegated him to the bench for the rest of the period. Unity took advantage of this to rebuild their lead, going into the half-time break up 44–37.
Jerald (BP #13) helped BP claw back into the game in the third quarter, orchestrating a 14–3 run to cut the lead to three. Unity were shaky at this point, as they were going through stretches of possession where they could not find a way to score.
John Christopher (Unity #6) ultimately shone in the final quarter to help Unity snatch the win away from the grasps of Bukit Panjang. Throughout the period, he made tough three-pointers to help extend the lead for his team. He scored 17 points in the final quarter to carry Unity, accounting for the final nine points for this team to seal the 84–71 win.
Unity top scorer, John Christopher (#6), said, “I was scared before the game started, so I want to thank God for giving me the strength to play. When I was making all those shots, all I thought was just to put the ball in the hoop, to help my team gain confidence. We just wanted to prove Bukit Panjang wrong, as they said we were weaker. Our goal is to now beat New Town Secondary and make the final.”
Scoring by Quarter
Unity Secondary vs Bukit Panjang Govt High
1st Quarter: 25–17
2nd Quarter: 19–20 (46–37)
3rd Quarter: 12–18 (58–55)
4th Quarter: 24–16 (84–71)
Top Scorers
Unity
John Christopher (#6) – 37 points (7 x 3-pointers)
Thng Yong-An (#5) – 18 points (4 x 3-pointers)
Bukit Panjang
Jerald Goh (#13) – 22 points
Vignesh (#11) – 17 points (1 x 3-pointer)
Unity Roster
Maung Khant Htet (#4), Thng Yong-An (#5), Caraig John Christopher Bico (#6), Foo Jun Lin (#7), Lee Ko Vic Ariel Nestor (#8), Tan Min Hui (#9), Jacinth Figueroa Aban (#10), Caraig David Martin Bico (#11), Matthew Choo Ming-En (#12), Maverick Jercel E. Dasig (#13), Leon Chin Wei Chen (#14), Shahrul B Ramdan (#15)
Bukit Panjang Roster
Ang Zi Yang (#4), Edmund Leong En Ming (#5), Lim Xiu Wei (#6), Shawn Ee Guan Aik (#7), Dini Matin B Zaini (#8), Shibukawa Youhei (#9), Tan Jia You (#10), Rengarajan Vignesh (#11), Yong Jun Wei (#12), Jerald Goh Jun Hao (#13), Low Wei Jie (#14), Tee Zhi Zhang (#15)
West Zone B Division Boys Basketball Championship — Fixtures and Results
More photos next page
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