Story by Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by Laura Lee/Red Sports.
John Zhang (RI #12) grabs the rebound and attempts a putback. (Photo 1 © Laura Lee/Red Sports)
Singapore Basketball Centre, Wednesday, May 7, 2014 — Raffles Institution (RI) came back in the final quarter to beat St. Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC) 47–38 in the National A Division Basketball Championship. Chan Chun Cheong (RI #4) led all scorers with 16 points while Ashley Ng (SAJC #5) paced his team with 12 points.
This is RI’s first win of the second round. This puts them at the top of Group P with a 1–0 win–loss record. SAJC fall to fourth in the group with a 0–1 record.
RI’s offence burst out in the first quarter, taking an early 9–2 lead. Chan Chun Cheong (RI #4) was a main contributor, scoring two three-pointers to aid his team. SAJC generated a couple of open looks on offence, but were unable to get their shots to fall early on. Towards the end of the period, SAJC went on an 8–0 run to tie the game at 15.
The second quarter saw SAJC take a slight lead. Shao Yang (SAJC #6) was having a good game in the post. He was able to score when needed and also grabbed crucial rebounds. Robin Alviedo (SAJC #8) was SAJC’s key source of offence in the quarter. The point guard scored six points in three different ways. He scored the first two after showing nice anticipation to steal the ball, the second on a pair of free throws and the final on a lay-up after a good screen from his teammates.
The third quarter saw SA extend their lead to four points. This was despite the fact that RI seemed to be the more dominant team in the quarter. However, RI were let down by poor finishing at the rim. Many of their shots rimmed out and were rebounded by SAJC players.
The final quarter saw RI go on a 20–7 burst that put the game away for good. They slowly worked their way back into the game, cutting the lead through simple plays. When the game was tied at 38–38, Chun Cheong (RI #4) hit a deep three-pointer with no marker on him from the left wing. This proved to be the decisive score for RI, as SAJC were not able to score any more points from that point on. RI eventually put the game away 47–38, putting them at the top of Group P for the time being.
RI captain, Zhuang Baokun (#6), said, “I felt that we were nervous at the start. We lost the lead because we were not focused on the game. We need to maintain this in our future games and not be complacent. We have to find the open man more and not hold the ball for too long.”
Scoring by Quarter
St. Andrew’s Junior College vs Raffles Institution
1st Quarter: 15–15
2nd Quarter: 8–6 (23–21)
3rd Quarter: 8–6 (31–27)
4th Quarter: 7–20 (38–47)
Top Scorers
SAJC
Ashley Ng (#5) – 12 points
RI
Chan Chun Cheong (#4) – 16 points
Zhuang Baokun (#6) – 14 points
SAJC Roster
Pai Jun Yu Kentley (#4), Ng Ming Xiang Ashley (#5), Wu Shao Yang (#6), Koh Yong Zhi (#7), Alviedo Dionne Robin Menez (#8), Huang Yida (#9), Long Wei Kai Wayne (#10), Lim Zheng Xuan (#11), Chang Weng Kong (#12), Wen Mingliang (#13), Safkit Ullah Khan (#14), Toh Xuan Hao Sergul (#15).
RI Roster
Chan Chun Cheong (#4), Khoo Jae En Kevin (#5), Zhuang Baokun (#6), Lim Mingjun (#7), Phi Yao (#8), Khoo Junn Wei Mark (#9), Joel Ong Wai Him (#10), Ernest Chng Yong Cheng (#11), John Zhang Jiong Yang (#12), Muhammad Zaki B Ghazali A T (#13), Deng Fang Shuo (#14), Teo Jun Yang Felix (#15)
A Division Boys Basketball Championship — Fixtures and Results
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