Nanyang Girls’ start second round of B Division Basketball with tough win over RGS

By Koh Yizhe/Red Sports

Jurong West Sports Hall, Wednesday, April 16, 2009 - Despite trailing for most of the match, Nanyang Girls' High exploded in the final minutes to subject Raffles Girls’ School to a 43-34 defeat in Group X of the girls’ 2009 B Division Basketball Championship.

Both teams traded points throughout the match with RGS in the lead for most of the game. But thanks to some lapses in concentration in the final quarter, they surrendered the lead with 5.30 left to play, allowing Jolie Ng (Nanyang, #9) to score five quick points. With RGS playing catch-up, Nanyang hit them on the break, and easily wrapped up the match.

"We led for most of the game but lost of focus in the last 5 minutes and it cost us a lot. Credit to Nanyang for winning this game. They deserved it as they fought hard while my team failed to perform for 40mins. You do not win games by playing good 35mins and switched off for the last 5mins, especially from the quarter-finals onwards," commented RGS Coach Guangyi.

Things looked good for RGS early on when they raced to a 6-0 lead with Deanna Ng (RGS, #11) making her presence felt. Nanyang only got on the score sheet after four minutes, with Nicole Lau (Nanyang, #11) scoring with a three-point play.

Cheap mistakes by the defending champions then allowed Nanyang back into the match, reducing the deficit to just one point at 7-8. Although Jolie Ng gave her side a brief lead at 9-8, RGS were able to take a slim lead into the first break at 10-9.

The match followed the same direction in the second quarter with both teams trading points. Nanyang looked to have the better chances, but they were let down by poor finishing as they failed to put in easy layups. This allowed their opponents to maintain a one-point 16-15 lead at half-time.

It looked like Nanyang would regret the missed chances as RGS started the third with a 7-0 run to lead 22-15, prompting a Nanyang timeout in a desperate attempt to regroup. It did wonders for the team as Jolie Ng (Nanyang, #9) broke Nanyang's scoring duck in the third with two successful free throws to make the score 24-17 with 4.10 minutes remaining on the clock.

This was the spark that Nanyang needed and they went on an 8-0 run to bring the score to within one again. RGS still remained on top, however, as they entered the final quarter 26-24 up.

Captain Hannah Ng (RGS, #9) began the fourth for her side with a layup as RGS looked to extend their lead. However, it would soon change as Jolie Ng stepped up her game to score with a layup. She then quickly followed this up with a three-point play to give her side the lead at 31-30 with 5.30 remaining. Her contribution in the fourth quarter made her top scorer with 19 points.

With RGS pushing to take the lead again, Nanyang forced them into a series of turnovers, allowing Jolie to extend her side's lead as she hit RGS on the break. Nanyang's defense was also solid as they limited RGS to just eight points in the fourth.

The defending champions were unable to mount a comeback as Nicole Lau (Nanyang, #11) sealed things with a basket at the end to give her team a 43-34 victory.

Nanyang will next play Yishun Town who beat Jurong 52-42. RGS will hope to bounce back against Jurong. Both matches will be played on Friday, 17 April 2009 at the Jurong West Sports Hall.

"The next two opponents are the champions for West and North zones and definitely will be the favourites when playing against us,” said RGS coach Guangyi. “We have to perform above our standard to win the remaining two games.”

"We will definitely come back stronger after today. Mistakes must be rectified and mentally we are ready for the fight. I have faith in the team and my team will show the real RGS character in upcoming games."

When asked about Hannah Ng's match fitness after her back injury, he said, "Hannah has recovered back 80% match fitness, but the only way to get all back is to play more games. I plan to increase her playing minutes game by game."

Top Scorers:
Jolie Ng (Nanyang, #9) – 19 points
Stephanie Siow (RGS, #8) – 10 points
Hannah Ng (RGS, #9) – 8 points