BASKETBALL

South Zone ‘B’ Division
Gan Eng Seng Sec Secondary vs Henderson Secondary
Wednesday, 21 February 2007, at CCAB

Text by Lee Hwee Cheng.  Pictures by Leslie Tan.  © soulbreath pictures



In the stuffiness of the CCAB indoor courts, the sweat and adrenaline flowed as Gan Eng Seng Sec trounced Henderson Sec 77-14 in a ‘B’ Division basketball game.

Gan Eng Seng Sec’s centre and capt, no.11, Clarence Leong in action against Henderson Sec

On centre-court, the Gan Eng Seng boys in all-white wasted no time showing everyone who was boss.  After a slow start in the first quarter, with the score at 15-10, Gan Eng Seng took matters into their own hands and switched the game pace at the beginning of the second quarter with a half-court press tactic.  Within just five minutes, they pulled away with a 13-point lead.

Gan Eng Seng’s skilful playmaker no.6 Jia Rong dazzled with his left-hand dribbling and passing and his right-hand shooting. Small forward, no.7 Yap Kian Leong also impressed – his long lithe physique and quickness gave him much advantage in cutting passes and making explosive fast-breakaways. Together with centre and captain no.11 Clarence Leong, whose powerful rebounds in the paint practically shut everyone else out, Gan Eng Seng left the Henderson boys scoreless with a 34-10 first-half whipping.

Gan Eng Seng’s skilful playmaker, no.6 Jia Rong

Struggling with team morale, a lack of on-court communication, the aggressive defence, and probably a bad stroke of luck, Henderson could not settle into any proper play.  Passes were cut, shots missed, rebounds lost, and defences broken down – the boys in black still could not find the missing touch in the second half until a lucky breakaway came with 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

A next shot was made but it came a little too late.  Gan Eng Seng cruised to a convincing 77-14 victory to claim a spot in the semi-finals.

Henderson Sec (in black) battle gamely but were no match for Gan Eng Seng Sec

South Zone ‘B’ Division champions in 2001, second in ’02 and ’06, the Gan Eng Seng boys are surely gunning for the top spot again in the zone this year with their impressive runs in the competition so far.  The highest score they have posted is an astounding 84 points – a strong testament to their confidence and determination.

Said captain Clarence, “To us, the strongest competition is the one with the best mental strength…and we have not met them yet.” 

The Nationals beckon.

More action shots in the Picture Gallery.