Story by reader Teo Siang Yang

Singapore Basketball Centre, Friday, August 1, 2008 – Yuying Secondary beat Hougang Secondary 42-34 in a National C Division Boys Basketball Championship game.

Underdogs Yuying had a daunting task against North Zone powerhouse Hougang, a school with a rich basketball history and the atmosphere was tense when this Group C match tipped off. Indeed, right from the first whistle, the score was close and Yuying managed to hold off Hougang to end the first quarter with a one-point lead.

Hougang pumped up their offense in the 2nd quarter and gave a sterling performance throughout and took the lead by the end of the 1st half. Yuying looked like they were in a bad shape from then. With both their starting centres in foul trouble, Yuying had to reorganise itself to adjust for their weakness. The 3rd quarter was a nail-biting affair with both sides exchanging leads many times and it was tied at the end of the 3rd quarter.

The 4th quarter marked the comeback of Yuying. They executed their offense systematically and looked less pressurized by the situation. They finally found their rhythm while Hougang’s shooting went cold and they failed to score for at least a good three minutes. With time running out, Hougang made many desperate shots but to no avail. Yuying finally sealed the game in the last 1:30 minutes with consecutive free throws for a 42-34 win.

With this win, Yuying shares the lead in Group C with hot favourites Unity Secondary. Both teams will face each other in their final group game next Thursday at 4.30pm while Hougang Secondary will face East View Secondary in the other match of the day.