Story contributed by reader Kelwin Koh
Clementi Sports Hall, Thursday, July 17, 2008 – Unity Secondary beat Jurong West Secondary 88-35 last week in a West Zone C Division Boys Basketball Championship game.
Three coaches were worried about the outcome of the game rather than the usual two. Jurong Secondary were facing the possibility of elimination from the Nationals if Unity had lost the game by a 15 to 20-point margin. With the loss, it was Jurong West that failed to qualify for the National Championship.
Unity started the game with the same unit that played against New Town Secondary – a mixture of their regular 1st unit and 2nd unit players. Jurong West had their two key players #13 and #10 playing from the get go. It was a scrappy start by both teams marked by their combined inability to finish and make shots. Both teams tried repeatedly to pass the ball inside to their post players who met with very strong and determined defense time and time again. By the 5th minute, the score stood at a paltry 5-2 with Unity in the lead.
Unity's coach then brought on #8 Keng Yang to up the tempo and combined with the sharp shooting of #10 Gaddiel, Unity looked like they were about to gallop ahead. Unfortunately at the end of the 1st quarter, an uncharacteristic foul by Unity #15 Wei Sheng on the Jurong West #5 at the 3-point line saw three free throws awarded and made by the opponents and the score stayed close.
The second quarter was marked by the strong inside play of Unity #13 Zachary. He played like a man possessed on the boards, rebounding with tenacity and coming up with timely blocks to stop Jurong West from scoring inside the paint. His constant hustle inspired his fellow teammates and the team slowly came alive.
A mini-run by Jurong West in the 3rd quarter led by #3 and #8 saw them close the gap to 20 pts at 27-47. The Jurong West #5 also added another 3-point shot near the end of the 3rd quarter but the fantastic interior defense by the various combinations of Unity's inside players saw the Jurong West frontline frustrated every time they forayed into the paint area. A fan was overheard saying that it looked like a ‘block shot clinic'. The quarter ended with another inside rejection by Unity's Sec 1 centre #14 Delvin.
The 4th quarter belonged to Unity Secondary as the players seemed to suddenly find a surge in energy and began to trap their fast-tiring opponents. The alert, heads-up play of Unity #6 Desmond saw him snatch several Jurong West passes mid-way and break free for layups. He also displayed his passing ability by taking over duties as the point guard for a small stretch of time. Subsequently, the Unity #5 Peter had yet another one of his scoring spurts with 10 points in three minutes of play to increase the Unity lead dramatically.
Jurong West never gave up until the final whistle and their strong fighting spirit left a big impression in the minds of the Unity players. The final score stood at 88-35, and when the final whistle blew, two out of the three coaches were smiling.
The Unity coach was asked about their exceptional interior defense today and he said that the team had been doing specific drills to focus on their interior defense and to prepare them for teams with strong paint players. He also paid credit to the boys for their good hustle in the game today.
lol…#13 become #3
anglican the strongest. we shall thrash u in national
lols…#3. hahas i ting is #13 barhhs. ^^
actually that game wasnt the best we could perform, if u counted this good,
hu is the #3?(paragraph 6)
is there a typo error?