By Koh Yizhe/Red Sports

North Vista vs Anglican High National Boys' B Division Basketball Championship

Both Larry Liew and Tan Jun Wei fail to take control of a rebound. Tan Jun Wei had foul trouble early on and it hindered his effectiveness in the game. (Photo 1 © Koh Yizhe/Red Sports)

Clementi Sports Hall, Friday, April 23, 2010 - North Vista sent a message to title favourites Unity Secondary with an impressive 74-50 victory over East Zone champions Anglican High School in the semi-final of the National Boys' B Division Championship.

With the win, North Vista will face Unity Secondary in the final after the West Zone champions beat Yishun Secondary 79-58 in the other semi-final.

North Vista led from start to finish and never looked like slipping up as they extended their lead to as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter. North Vista’s key player Larry Liew (#11) only managed 10 points, but his team more than made up for his lack of form with Gabriel Tan (#8) scoring a game-high 23 points while Loh Jing Hui (#12) added another 11.

Anglican High, in contrast, never really found their footing in the game and were clearly outclassed by North Vista. Sherwin Yen (#8) scored a team-high 13 points, but his efforts were unable lead his team to a win.

Loh Jing Hui got North Vista going with four quick points to start the match as his side was immediately settled and they sprinted to a 9-4 lead. They managed to maintain the five-point lead at the end of the first quarter at 15-10.

That was as close as the score would get from that point. On the back of Gabriel Tan's eight points, North Vista extended their lead in the second quarter. After just two and a half minutes, the North Zone champions had a 21-12 lead and they further stretched it to 13 points at the half at 35-22 to effectively end the match as a contest.

Much of the same followed in the third and fourth quarter with Anglican High having no response to the more dominant North Vista. Even though Larry Liew did not play much of the third quarter, his side still managed to extend the lead.

It was 53-34 at the end of the third quarter, and North Vista wrapped it up in the fourth, extending their lead to as many as 30 points before finishing it 74-50 to seal a spot in the final.

"I feeling really happy right now," said North Vista star-player Larry Liew after the match. "My team was very good today. I wasn’t on-form, but they took over and even extended the lead when I was not playing. We were aiming for the win, but didn't expect such a big victory. Today, Anglican High was off-form and their centre [Tan Jun Wei] had foul trouble."

In the other semi-final, Unity Secondary destroyed Yishun Secondary in the first quarter, rending the contest over with a 22-8 first-quarter performance. Unity were then on cruise-control as they easily sealed victory with a 79-58 win. Ng Weixiang scored 21 points while Delvin Goh added 14 points.

"We definitely have a good chance against Unity in the final," commented Larry about their chances against the favourites. "It will all depend on how well we play on that day."

It will no doubt be an explosive encounter between the North Zone and West Zone champions, who are both unbeaten in the season. The final will be played at Jurong East Sports Hall on Tuesday April 27, 2010 at 1500 hours.

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