Story by Jiexin Neo/Red Sports. Photos by Laura Lee/Red Sports

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Lim Yin Yan (SCGS #8) attempts to steal the ball from Isabel Tan (NAS #11). (Photo 1 © Laura Lee/Red Sports)

Clementi Sports Hall, Thursday, March 27, 2014 — Singapore Chinese Girls’ School (SCGS) beat Ngee Ann Secondary (NAS) 38–10 in their opening game of the National B Division Girls Basketball Championship.

Charmaine Koh (SCGS #13) paced her team with 12 points, while Har Hui Yin (NAS #7) registered five points.

SCGS played tough defence at the perimeter from the start, denying Ngee Ann’s attempts to drive into the paint. As such, Ngee Ann struggled to get past SCGS’s defence and were unable to get to the basket to beat the 24-second shot clock.

SCGS also went for every loose rebound, with Charmaine Koh (SCGS #13) pulling down several offensive boards to go up for second chances. They also ran their offense confidently, with Bernice Yeo (#4) netting a couple of 3-pointers and Ceres Suwe (#9) executing her post moves to go for easy baskets.

Ngee Ann remained scoreless in the first quarter, but Har Hui Yin (NAS #7) scored the first basket for her team just before the half-time break. Ngee Ann trailed 2–15 at the end of the first half.

SCGS kicked off the third quarter with a well-executed offensive play, swinging the ball around the perimeter, then finding Charmaine (#13) in the paint for the easy basket. They scored mostly from within the paint in the third quarter, while Ngee Ann continued with their scoring drought.

Early into the last quarter, Ngee Ann were still unable to find a way to break through SCGS’s solid defence, and had to settle for flustered shots which did not fall. Towards the final minutes, Ngee Ann battled back to score a free throw through Isabel Tan (#11) and a 3-pointer from an unguarded Hui Yin (#7). Png Yi Ling (#9) also managed to bring the ball up to their strong side, driving past her defenders then distributing good passes to her open teammates. However, it was to no avail.

SCGS took several ill-advised shots towards the end but their early lead gave them the eventual 38–10 win over Ngee Ann.

Ngee Ann captain, Yi Ling (#9), said, “Our opponents were very aggressive, which is something that we can learn from. We could have played stronger.”

SCGS captain, Rachel (#6), said, “I think we could have done better in terms of fast breaks. We could also improve on our defence, as there were some balls which we could have stopped.”

Scoring by Quarter
NAS vs SCGS
1Q: 0–10
2Q: 2–5 (2–15)
3Q: 0–15 (2–30)
4Q: 8–8 (10–38)
Final score: 10–38

Top Scorers
Ngee Ann Secondary
Har Hui Yin (#7) – 5 points (1 x 3 pointer)

Singapore Chinese Girls’ School
Charmaine Koh (#13) – 12 points

Ngee Ann Secondary Roster
Rachel Tan Jie Ying (#4), Liyana Bte Juraimi (#5), Teo Lim Hui (#6), Har Hui Yin (#7), Lim Wen Xin (#8), Png Yi Ling (#9), Nuryn Aqidah Bte Mohammad Adib (#10), Isabel Tan (#11), Nurizzati Bte Mohamed Shah (#12), Amalia Bte Umran (#13), Siti Nur Azri (#14), Siti Nur Azmina (#15)

Singapore Chinese Girls’ School Roster
Bernice Yeo (#4), Tiana Ng (#5), Rachel Mok (#6), Carisia Lee (#7), Lim Yin Yan (#8), Ceres Suwe (#9), Lin Yi Han (#10), Low Yi Xuan (#11), Sophia Ang (#12), Charmaine Koh (#13), Sevilla Chea (#14), Ong Li Ping (#15)

National B Division Girls Basketball Championship — Fixtures and Results

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