Story and pictures by Lai Jun Wei.

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Vanessa (Ahmad Ibrahim #10) goes up for the basket while Whitley’s #8 tries to block. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

Singapore Basketball Centre, Tuesday, March 18, 2008 – Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary beat Whitley Secondary 50-40 in a B Division Girls National Championship basketball match to start their national campaign on a winning note.

The game started off with the score moving at a pretty slow pace and the first quarter ended 8-6 in favour of Ahmad Ibrahim. The second quarter saw the girls from Ahmad Ibrahim step up their pace as they increased pressure on their opponents. Jia Jia (Ahmad Ibrahim #12) was responsible for many baskets to help her team to a 21-10 lead by half-time.

Whitley came back in the third quarter, outscoring Ahmad Ibrahim 15-8, to trail only by four at 25-29. With Whitley closing in, the pressure was on Ahmad Ibrahim to make their shots count. Despite scoring a respectable 15 points in the last quarter, Whitley Ahmad Ibrahim proved to be the better of the two with a 21-point fourth quarter haul to ensure an overall 50-40 victory.

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Jia Jia (Ahmad Ibrahim #12) attempts to drive the ball out of their defensive zone. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)
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Vanessa (Ahmad Ibrahim #10) loses her grip of the ball. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)
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Jing Ying (Ahmad Ibrahim #11) tries to snatch the ball away from her Whitley opponent. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)
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Chermaine (Whitley #15) goes up for two. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)
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Anzie (Ahmad Ibrahim #7) tries to go around her opponent. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)
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Vanessa (Ahmad Ibrahim #10) attempting a free throw. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

Ed’s note: If you recognise yourself or your teammates in any of the photos, do leave your names behind in the comments section and we will update the captions accordingly. Thanks!