Heartbreak as New Town fall to Chung Cheng High (Main)

Story and pictures by Lai Jun Wei.

Ang Shu Man (New Town #12) goes up for the basket. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

Singapore Basketball Centre, Tuesday, March 18, 2008 – It was a heartbreaking loss for New Town Secondary as they lost to Chung Cheng High(Main) 36-38 in a B Division Girls National Championship basketball match.

All was going well for New Town Secondary as they kept Chung Cheng at bay for the first two quarters, leading 12-7 at the end of the first quarter and maintaining the same five-point lead at half-time at 18-13.

The game started to heat up in the third quarter as Chung Cheng High stepped up their play. Forcing their opponents to commit fouls, Chung Cheng High managed to get several free throws to earn them valuable points. As the gap started to close, anxiety could be seen on both benches with both coaches becoming more animated, shouting and gesturing to their players from the sidelines. The New Town girls struggled to keep up with the increased pressure and Chung Cheng grabbed the lead to lead 29-26 at the end the third quarter.

The fourth quarter marked the start of a furious response from New Town as they tried to get back into the lead but with 26 seconds left, they were still trailing 36-38. In a bid to buy some time, the New Town coach called for a timeout to give some instructions to his team for that final push forward.

A lucky break came for New Town when Chung Cheng committed a foul with 21 seconds to go. The referee awarded two free throws to New Town, a golden opportunity to tie the game force extra time. All responsibility landed on the shoulders of New Town’s #7.

When her first throw bounced off the rim of the basket, all the players on the New Town bench were in anguish. The last throw would be a huge gamble. Would she sink the ball into the basket and hope for another scoring opportunity in the remaining seconds? Or would she choose to let her teammates go for the rebound to tie the game?

As the ball left the hands of the New Town #7, it was quite clear that the ball was not going into the hoop and Chung Cheng High denied New Town any final chances of scoring when they won the rebound and closed out the game 38-36 winners.

Top scorers:
Ang Shu Man (New Town #12) – 14 points
Sze Lei (New Town #4) – 13 points (two 3-pointers)
Chung Cheng #12 – 12 points

Suhadah (Chung Cheng #6) prepares to make a free throw. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

A Chung Cheng player tries to get around her opponent. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

New Town’s #13 shoots one from the outside. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

Amelia (Chung Cheng #15) making a free throw. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

Chung Cheng’s #15 tries to catch the rebound. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

A New Town player tries to charge through the Chung Cheng defence. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

The New Town coach gives instructions for the final attempt to score the much-needed point. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

The top scorer of the match with a score of 14 points. (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!