Defending champions HCI retain A Division girls’ basketball title after late scare by RI

Story by REDintern Alan Chiang. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

Jurong East Sports Hall, Friday, May 22, 2009 - Defending champions Hwa Chong Institution retained the A Division Girls’ Basketball Championship title but were made to sweat as Raffles Institution sprang to life in the final quarter, outscoring the mighty giants by 10 points.

But their efforts were fruitless as Hwa Chong managed to hang on and claim the championship decider 61-58. The combined 19-point force of Liew Si Hui (RI #7), Jamie Chow (#8) and Joelynn Ng (#9) in the last quarter was not enough to salvage the deficit that hit them earlier in the game.

On the back of a 100 per cent winning record, HCI looked like the team who would rule the court early in the game. However, RI roared to life in the beginning of the game after the first tip-off. They took a 5-0 lead through Jamie (RI #8) and Joelynn (#9) and displayed one of the best defensive work on the Hwa Chong forwards.

But the points started rolling in Hwa Chong's favour as they went on a 12-0 run courtesy of Sara Choong (#4) and Tan Seow Hwee (#15). With 4:50 remaining, RI called for a time-out to prevent the defending champions from running away with the match.

Nevertheless, the call was not effective as RI luck at the free throw line ran out. They missed all their attempts and could not narrow the deficit.

Hwa Chong's lead soon increased to 10 points as Seow Hwee (#15) continued to dominate the offensive paint and scored successive points. In the dying minutes of the quarter, RI bucked up and went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead down to four points to trail 11-15 at the end of the first quarter.

RI began the second quarter with a chance to reduce the deficit, but both teams failed to make their chances count. However, it was Jamie (RI #8) who was focused in front of the basket. She helped to cut the lead to three points before a time-out call was signaled from the Hwa Chong bench.

Cindy Chan (HCI #10) turned on the heat and hit her first 3-pointer of the game to extend the lead to six points at 21-15. But two quick shots from Si Hui (RI #7) and Jamie (#8) got RI back to within 2.

This was to be the closest they would get to Hwa Chong as within a space of two minutes, Cindy (HCI #10) then converted back-to-back 3-pointers and another two points from Tsang Wei Yi (#6) added to the tally of an 8-0 run by Hwa Chong.

With 1:50 remaining, RI called a time-out as Hwa Chong led by as many as 10 points at 29-19. Both sides exchanged points within the final minutes and Hwa Chong took a 32-21 lead at half-time.

RI began the second half on a wrong note as they missed their first attempt. Hwa Chong took advantage and immediately broke into a 15-point lead. But Chong Jieying (HCI #5) picked up her third foul and had to sit out for the remainder of the quarter. Her replacement, Mok Ying Ming (#11), made an instant impact as she contributed two points right after coming off the bench. With the combined team effort, Hwa Chong held a massive 21-point lead with 3:30 left to play.

A time-out was called by RI as the coach could not bear to witness the dismal performance. She was spot on this time as she witnessed a 10-2 run from RI for the remaining minutes of the third quarter. The impressive comeback late in the quarter helped to reduce the lead to 13 points to trail 37-50, an improvement after they were down by as many as 21.

The revival spilled over to the final quarter as Si Hui (RI #7) and Joelynn (#9) managed to cut the lead to nine points. But Seow Hwee (HCI #15) and Cindy (#10) had their way to the basket and increased Hwa Chong's lead to 13.

With 5:51 left, the referees had to stop the game play after Seow Hwee (HCI #15) appeared to suffer a serious injury. Things got worse for Hwa Chong as their top performer Cindy (HCI #10) suffered a twisted ankle.

RI took full advantage and cut the lead down to eight points at 58-50. With 1:06 remaining, Sara (HCI #4) fouled out after she collected her fifth foul on Joelynn (RI #9). Soon after, the lead was further reduced to six when Si Hui (RI #7) drained a 3-pointer. Joelynn (RI #9) also got into the fray with her 3-pointer as she capitalized on a steal and that brought her team to 58-61. But with 1.9 seconds left, there was not much RI could do as Hwa Chong held on to their final possession of the game and clinched the girls' title.

Michael Wong, Hwa Chong Institution's teacher-in-charge explained the breakdown late in the game.

He said, "We were out of focus, not hitting shots and I think it's about desperation. They (Raffles Institution) were more serious in the final quarter."

He added, "We had a few injury worries before the game and not everybody had gone through the full season training."

But he was happy with the current batch of players who also won the title last year.

Most Valuable Player (MVP) Cindy Chan's (HCI #10) contribution was vital in the victory as she added 19 points, including four 3-pointers for the game.

She said, "I think I played better than usual today. It's about hard work and the support from the team too."

Match Statistics

Starting line-up
HCI - Sara Choong (#4), Chong Jieying (#5), Athena Raewyn Tan (#9), Cindy Chan (#10), Tan Seow Hwee (#15)
RI - Olivia Ng (#4), Liew Si Hui (#7), Jamie Chow (#8), Joelynn Ng (#9), Tan Yen Lin (#15)

Scores by quarter:
1st Q: HCI 15 RI 11
2nd Q: HCI 17 RI 10
3rd Q: HCI 18 RI 16
4th Q: HCI 11 RI 21

Top Scorer
HCI:
Cindy Chan (#10) - 19 points (4 x 3-pointers)
Sara Choong (#4) - 15 points
Tan Seow Hwee (#15) - 13 points

RI:
Jamie Chow (#8) - 21 points
Joelynn Ng (#9) - 15 points
Liew Si Hui (#7) - 10 points