Anglican High win, will play Chung Cheng for East Zone title

East Zone ‘B’ Division Girls
Anglican High vs St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary
Chung Cheng High vs Manjusri Secondary
Monday, 5 March 2007, at Anglican High

Score update and pictures by Leslie Tan
Match Report on the Chung Cheng High vs Manjusri Sec game by Lee Hwee Cheng
© redsports.sg/soulbreath pictures

Anglican High beat St Anthony’s Convent 55-37 in an East Zone ‘B’ Division semi-finals this afternoon.

Anglican High’s player (in white) charges down the paint against SAC’s no.5.

In the East Zone “B” Girls Basketball semi-final between Manjusri Secondary School and Chung Cheng High, Chung Cheng overcame the odds to beat the defending champions 62-67, earning for themselves one well-deserved step closer to the trophy.

Manjusri Sec’s Wu Jiashi (in white) tries to find a way past her Chung Cheng High opponent

5:04
04:05

Interestingly, that was what the scoreboard read in the middle of the first quarter. Even more interestingly, that was also the only one short moment in the game where Chung Cheng led the score, albeit by a mere point.

The Chung Cheng girls, looking no-nonsense in black, played an organized, diligent game. Playmaker no.15 Neo Kai Xi, with her nifty footwork and excellent ball-handling skills, played her role well, making quick passes to where her teammates were clear for a shot, moving the ball around to create shooting chances, and then dribbling into the paint for easy lay-ups when the responsibility lay on her shoulders. Partnered with forward no.11 Lim Jing Ya, the other key contributor to the team, Neo would pose one of the major threats to the Manjusri side.

But luck was probably not on their side, as Chung Cheng failed to convert many of the shooting chances.

Manjusri Sec’s no.5 Ng Hui Wen with her trademark 3-point shooting.

On the other hand, Manjusri boasted also of their own formidable pair in no.7 Lindy Low and no.5 Ng Hui Wen. Both key contributors to the points, playmaker-forward Low proved to be a key figure with her wily moves to the baskets, but it was Ng’s three consecutive 3-point launchers late in the first quarter that got the crowd wild and gave Manjusri a sudden 20-9 lead by the end of the quarter.

Within the first two minutes from the opening of the second quarter, the Manjusri supporters in the crowd went wilder with rousing cheers, as Ng opened the set with yet another two 3-pointers, pulling the lead immediately to a 17-point difference.

Together with a half-court man-to-man defence tactic, Manjusri looked determined to dominate both the offensive and the defensive ends of the court. But the Chung Cheng girls refused to be intimidated, and most certainly did not seem to let panic get the better of them. With a better set of fundamental skills in defence and passing, Chung Cheng fought back hard against a hyped-up Manjusri team. With a few strokes of luck that allowed them score some crucial goals under the basket and even drawing shooting fouls in succession, they cut the lead short to 34-26 by the end of Quarter 2.

After a drought of 3-pointers in the rest of the previous quarter, Ng found her shooting touch again in the second half – once again launching two quick 3-pointers in just under two minutes. But what ensued was a monotonous third quarter which saw very few tactical plays but only both teams running back and forth on the court as possession was gained and lost, shots made or missed. The score stood at 53-42, in Manjusri’s favor at the end of Quarter 3.

Manjusri Sec’s Lindy Loh preps for a shot.

The heat and excitement flared up in the final quarter of the game. Perhaps worn out from the aggressive defence tactics and the endless running earlier, the Manjusri girls started showing signs of fatigue. Capitalizing on their better endurance, Chung Cheng continued a steadfast game and grasped any opportunity for an easy basket. Kept scoreless and running out of ideas, Manjusri quickly saw their lead slipping to only 3 points with 6:38 left on the clock.

A forced 24-second shot-clock violation by Manjusri allowed Chung Cheng the next opportunity to take over ball possession and bring the ball up to the other end for an easy lay-up, quickly bringing the score to 53-52.

With only 5:16 left in the game, another foul-in basket converted into a three-point play for Chung Cheng toppled the lead – Chung Cheng regained the upper hand with 53-55.

Chung Cheng got a minor scare with about 4 minutes left in the game, when no.11 Lim took a tumble, scraped her knees and had to limp out of the court to tend to her wounds. Barely less than a minute later, however, Lim was ready to go, and back into the game.

Chung Cheng High’s Lim Jing Ya (also known as xiao hei to her team mates) drives to the basket.

With no.5 Ng being man-marked now and almost the entire team running out of breath and ideas, Manjusri’s no.7 Low stepped up to her responsibility and became the “go-to” girl for the team. Making bold moves into the paint and up toward the basket, she drew shooting fouls and contributed the few precious points for Manjusri on the conversion of her hard-earned free throws.

With under 3 minutes still to go, the score stood at 55-59. Manjusri’s once-aggressive defence had started to crack, and Chung Cheng made no qualms about making easy drives toward the basket for easy points. Manjusri, at this point, having no more strength to penetrate into the paint on their attacking end, could only rely on free-throw opportunities for points.

Chung Cheng High’s Neo Kai Xi breaks through the Manjusri defence.

As Manjusri dwindled in stamina and committed panic shots, Chung Cheng maintained endurance and kept up a cool game.

When the clock struck 00:00, the score read 67-62. And it was then the Chung Cheng supporters’ turn to erupt into wild frenzy.

Manjusri’s Low admitted that their weakness was indeed a lack of stamina and endurance, which cost them the strong lead and eventually the game.

Looking calm and composed throughout the entire game, the ecstatic Chung Cheng girls surprised Red Sports when they confessed they were actually panicky while they were trailing. Added Lim, “Coach played a big part, encouraging us throughout, telling us to keep up a steady defence. And also, of course, all the supporters.”