By Zachary Foo/Red Sports

Cheng Ye Hui (NV #7) scores over his defenders. (Photo 1 © Zachary Foo/Red Sports)

Clementi Sports Hall, Monday, 25 August, 2014 — North Vista Secondary (NV) beat Seng Kang Secondary (SKS) 65–53 in the semi-final of the National C Division Boys Basketball Championship. Cheng Ye Hui (NV #7) led all scorers with 31 points, while Noel Teo (SKS #10) paced his team with 14 points. This will be North Vista’s first final appearance since 2010.

Both teams met in the North Zone final, where Seng Kang emerged 61–53 victors. However, North Vista were missing the presence of their main scorer Cheng Ye Hui (NV #7), who proved to be the difference maker in this contest.

Seng Kang started off the game well, taking an early 11–4 lead. However, North Vista came roaring back with an 11–0 run of their own. The aggressive driving of Cheng Ye Hui (NV #7) and Chuan Yao (NV #10) made it hard for Seng Kang Secondary to stop them. This allowed North Vista to take a 17–14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The North Vista trio of Cletus Ng (NV #6), Cheng Ye Hui (NV #7) and Chuan Yao (NV #10) proved hard to stop in the second quarter. Seng Kang threw whatever they could in their way, but the North Vista players would simply muscle their way to the rim. Noel Teo (SKS #13) and Keane Liew (SKS #12) made life slightly easier for Seng Kang by scoring to keep pace.

Seng Kang found their rhythm in the third quarter, as baskets by Ryan Low (SKS #5) and Noel Teo (SKS #13) cut the lead to single digits. North Vista did not help themselves by going through a scoring drought for almost five minutes. However, they made amends by focusing their attack on the inside after that. They were able to get a lot of points in the paint through this strategy.

North Vista were able to coast to victory in the final quarter. Seng Kang resorted to a full court press in a bid to make a come back. However, North Vista’s well-drilled players showed the composure to break the press. Sie Ker Shin (NV #8) had a nice play towards the end of the period, when he made two consecutive blocks. North Vista eventually took the game 65–53, sending them to their first final since 2010. They will face Catholic High in the final at 2.30 p.m. on Thursday, August 28, at the OCBC Arena.

North Vista captain, Ye Hui (#7), said, “This will be our first final appearance since 2010 and it feels great after so long. Our B Division boys and C Division boys both fell at the semi-final stage, so we want to do better. It does not matter who our opponent is in the final. We will not fear them and we will do our best.”

Score by quarter
Seng Kang Secondary vs North Vista Secondary
1st quarter: 14–17
2nd quarter: 14–20 (28–37)
3rd quarter: 13–14 (41–51)
4th quarter: 12–14 (53–65)

Top Scorers
Seng Kang Secondary
Noel Teo (#13) – 14 points

North Vista Secondary
Ye Hui (#7) – 31 points

Seng Kang Secondary Roster
Andrew Chiang (#4), Ryan Low (#5), Loo Chuan Jun (#6), Benjamin Lim (#7), Edwin Tan (#8), Hakeem (#9), Wong Kang Jun (#10), Nigel Ong (#11), Keane Liew (#12), Noel Teo (#13), Gordon Soon (#14), Ivan Badillo (#15)

North Vista Secondary Roster
Valen Tan (#4), Terry Tong (#5), Cletus Ng (#6), Ye Hui (#7), Sie Ker Shin (#8), Keith Tan (#9), Tiong Chuan Yao (#10), Lim Joe Yang (#11), Reuben (#12), Chan Qi Fang (#13), Willie Tan (#14), Javier Ng (#15)

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