Story by Koh Yizhe/Red Sports. Photos by Vanessa Lim and Marvin Lowe/Red Sports
MVP Tsang Wei Yi (HCI #6) scored nine points in overtime to help HCI retain their championship for the third year in a row. (Photo 1 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
Yishun Sports Hall, Wednesday, May 19, 2010 – It was not pretty, but Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) eventually retained the A Division Girls’ Basketball Championship.
Tsang Wei Yi (#6) turned in a Most Valuable Player (MVP) performance as HCI made a dramatic defense of crown with an overtime 65-60 victory over Raffles Institution (RI).
The game was plagued with careless turnovers and multiple misses from both sides, but RI were able to lead by seven points with a little over five minutes left to play in the fourth. HCI then turned the game on its head to take the lead before unnecessary fouls allowed RI back into the game and they drew level before the final buzzer.
Deanna Ng (RI #13) then thought she had won the game for her side when she made a fast-break lay-up at the death, but it was disallowed as it was after the buzzer, signalling five extra minutes of play.
Wei Yi dominated in overtime, scoring nine points including a three-pointer and a couple of free throws to make sure the title stayed at HCI. She was crowned MVP at the end as HCI retained their championship for the third year in a row.
“I was expecting her to play this well throughout her time at HCI,” said teacher-in-charge Michael Wong about Wei Yi’s performance. “On a national level she can really play, so I am glad it worked out well for her. I knew she wanted it badly and she showed and proved what she can do today. It is her last year and this is the best finish that she can ask for.”
For RI and national youth player Hannah Ng, they will have to wait another year for a shot at dethroning the champions. Although Hannah led her side with a game-high 21 points, her dismal five of 23 field-goal shooting eventually contributed to RI’s downfall.
Wei Yi gave HCI a great start when she combined with Amelia Lee (#10) to give her side a 7-2 lead inside the first five minutes. However, RI came back strongly and with 1:28 minutes left to play in the first, they took the lead at 11-8 with Hannah Ng’s (#4) trey.
National teammate Nicole Lau (HCI #8) pulled two points back, but Deanna Ng made a free throw to ensure RI had the 12-10 lead at the end of the first.
Although a three-pointer from Grace Fong (#11) helped RI maintain their lead for the first three minutes of the quarter, it was all HCI after that. They reclaimed the lead, extending it to five points at 24-19 just before the break. It could have been much worse for RI as their opponents were rather unlucky not to see some baskets being made. At times, HCI seemed to be rushing their shots, resulting in a couple of misses.
Nevertheless, HCI held the lead at 24-19 during the half-time interval.
The defending champions protected their slim five-point advantage throughout most of the third quarter. Vanessa Tan did give RI supporters something to cheer about with a three-pointer that narrowed the lead to 24-26 after three and a half minutes, but that just sparked HCI into action and they stretched their lead to seven points at 35-28 midway through the quarter – the largest of the game.
However, RI stormed back strongly through Dew Isabel Low (#10). She scored four points in RI’s 5-0 run to trim the lead down to two at 33-35 entering into the fourth quarter. At this point, both sides were not playing their best basketball. Turnovers and rim-rocking were a common sight at both ends of the court.
RI came out as the better side in the final 10 minutes, continuing their momentum from the previous quarter. Hannah Ng nailed four straight free throws to tie the game and give her side the lead for the first time since the second quarter. In a two-and-a-half minute spell at the start of the fourth, RI went on a 7-0 run to take the lead at 41-35.
Not to be outdone, HCI fought back. Unlike the previous two quarters, HCI were suddenly making shots and a lay-up from Eva Seah (#7) snatched the lead back from RI at 48-47 with 1:57 left on the clock. They continued making shots with Nicole Lau leading the charge with six points as part of HCI’s 9-0 run for a 53-47 lead with a single minute left on the clock.
Deanna Ng responded strongly with a lay-up at the other end before making a free throw to cut the deficit to three. More drama was to follow as HCI fouled Hannah Ng twice and she made three of four to tie the game at 53-53 with 13.3 seconds remaining.
Although HCI had the final possession, they turned it over to Deanna Ng who made a sprint for the basket on the break. However, she failed to release the ball in time and even though she made the basket, the buzzer already sounded, sending the game into overtime.
With everybody at the edge of their seats, Tsang Wei Yi, who was limited to just five points in regulation time, showed the most composure on court. First, she made a free throw before nailing a shot-clock beating trey to tie the game at 57-57 after Deanna and Hannah Ng gave their side the lead.
That was all the momentum HCI needed as Cherylin Tan (#4) drained another three during their next possession before Wei Yi made a jumper and another free throw to give HCI a 63-60 lead.
With time winding down and things getting desperate for RI, Hannah Ng attempted a long three with a hand in her face. It rocked the outer part of the rim and HCI easily collected the rebound. Wei Yi, who eventually finished with 14 points, then made a pair of free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining to seal the title for her side.
“It was really my teammates and coaches that helped the team pull through and not just the effort of one person,” noted MVP Wei Yi after the match. “Although I was not making shots at the start, they told me they will be there for me.”
“I thought it counted!” added Wei Yi about the shot at the end of regular time. “I think that last miss [by RI] made us want the game more, so we came back and fought harder. We narrowly escaped once so we told ourselves we had to win it!”
“I knew it was going to be tough and I told the girls it was going to be an uphill task,” said teacher-in-charge Michael Wong after the match. “RI got into a good roll in their semi-final while we didn’t have a very tough semi-final. I expected my girls to be a bit tentative and as most of the squad are year ones, I knew most of them will have the jitters.”
“My team understood it was going to be tough, but they hung on, they wanted it more, and they eventually showed it on court,” analysed Michael Wong.
Quarter By Quarter Scoring
Raffles Institution vs Hwa Chong Institution
1st Q: 12-10
2nd Q: 7-14
3rd Q: 14-11
4th Q: 20-18
OT 1: 7-12
Top Scorers
Hwa Chong Institution:
Tsang Wei Yi (#6) – 14 points
Amelia Lee (#10) – 11 points
Raffles Institution:
Hannah Ng (#4) – 21 points
Deanna Ng (#13) – 17 points
Raffles Institution Lineup
Hannah Ng (#4), Trisha Ng (#5), Vienna Chua Qi (#6), Vanessa Tan (#7), Vivien Cheok (#8), Khoo Zi Bing (#9), Dew Isabel Low (#10), Grace Fong (#11), Nicole Lee (#12), Deanna Ng (#13), Chin Ying Xin (#14), Zhao Yun Rul (#15)
Hwa Chong Institution Lineup
Cherylin Tan (#4), Marise Tan (#5), Tsang Wei Yi (#6), Eva Seah (#7), Nicole Lau (#8), Toh Wuen Lynn (#9), Amelia Lee (#10), Sara Choong (#11), Sharlene Huang (#12), Ang Ee Ling (#13), Aw Jia-Yu (#14), Lim Qian Tong (#15)
RI’s top scorer Hannah Ng (#4) going for a lay-up as HCI players try to defend. (Photo 2 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
An HCI player trying to intercept the ball from Hannah Ng (RI #4). (Photo 3 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
Nicole Lau (#8) taking a shot. (Photo 4 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
Players fighting for the rebound. (Photo 5 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
Intense moment for RI’s bench players as the seconds count down. (Photo 6 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
For more photos, go to the next page
do you have vids for this game
RJC’s Deanna Ng is the most talented step kilat in the basketball scene in Singapore
i think no matter what the game is over, so thr’s nothing to debate anymore. on a side note i want to comment that weiyi was extremely outstanding but hannah and deanna were very gd as well. gd job to all. nice to watch i enjoyed it.
[…] the final seconds of the final, RI’s Hannah Ng (#4) intercepted a pass to Amelia Lee (HCI #10) before Deanna Ng (RI #13) was […]
instead of just contesting the buzzer/shot clock, what about looking at the team overall? hc’s team was clearly more all-rounded and had better team work. the fact that two j1s had to lead the scoreboard in ri may imply that the rest of the team wasn’t quite pulling their weight. that said, hannah and deanna are truly outstanding players. but you need a team to win a game – and yesterday, hc was clearly the better team.
to all the commenters who have said that the ri side was demoralized after the buzzer-beater call, well mental strength is an important part of being an athlete. sure it would have been a blow, but shouldn’t they have decided to prove to the referee that they truly deserved the match, rather than fall back and let hc claim it? not a valid argument.
one of the best matches i’ve seen, despite all the mistakes made.
If you take a look at photo 12 posted here you notice that HCI’s Boys team were situated next to the court during the actual game and are visibly protesting during the buzzer beater shot. Regardless of whether the shot went in or not, they are no different from any other member of the audience and should not be so close to the court as it puts undue pressure on the referee. Particularly since their own school is playing.
like that also want to complain. then there should be no spectators also, so many also undue pressure. just use your stopwatch, man. it has shown that it was a good call for this last shot
i was sitting at the vip seats and i could clearly hear the referee’s reason for denying Deanna’s lay-up. He said that it was very clear that the ball was still in her hands when the buzzer sounded and the panel of judges would agree. In fact, from what I saw, the ball did not leave her hands when the buzzer sounded.
I rmbed staring at the scoreboard when the stopclock is winding down ya? Frm my angle I think it is really a late release. Perhaps a different angle will show different outcome yeah?in anyway, I thought there were some really wild calls by the referee during the 4th quarters yeah.. In particular reaching fouls…
The allure of sports is human drama. More video replay, sophisticated technical equipment, zero-bias refereeing… I vote no. I enjoyed the game, as would have all the non-partisan basketball fans.
There’re always biased on the referees’ decisions for a Team whom the Coach or Teacher-in-charge are known to them. The referring standard in Singapore has no improvement since 2006 till now. BAS is not proactive in this. There are no passion and professionalism protrayed by the referees.
haha, coach chiew is very well-known. so are hc’s coaches. perhaps the referees side both sides then?
i do agree that referees’ decisions are not always neutral. But with reference to the shot made by Rj, it was not the decision made by the judgement of a referee. It was based on the buzzer.
You must be one of those who either left the Referee Group under BAS or one of those who hate the current Technical Committee Group of people. Don’t judge the book by it’s cover. Human make mistakes and I won’t deny making no mistake during that day. But as a Referee, I always try to minimum mistake made by concentrating on the game. At least I am clear conscience that I don’t side any teams.
we should have a shot clock and timer right above the hoops, nba style.lol. then it’s clearer for everyone to see.
who is ri’s coach? thought i saw coach bao ling at the stands ;0
Chiew Poh Leng who is also SCGS coach.
There was a problem with the trey shot because i think the 2 shot clocks were not consistent (not 100% sure about this) but for the buzzer shot, i’m quite sure the shot was released after the time.
ridiculous how RI was cheated of victory when deanna’s lay-up clearly was released before the buzzer. preposterous.
unfortunately we dont have NBA-standard instant replays! But you know what is REALLY preposterous? The fact that the score board was only facing one side – maybe thats why some RI fans might not have seen the clock winding down.
see chatbox. go to jumpshot watch the video, get a stopwatch by your side.
erwin: “start the clock when the first hwa chong player touches the ball after the inbounds pass. then stop the watch when the ball leaves deanna’s hands.”
report your findings everybody. k thx
i watched the video and timed it 3 times. 15.14s, 15.49s and 14.51s
Interesting to note that Deanna’s last second lay up as well as Wei Yi’s shot clock beating (and equalizing) trey were strongly contested by the RI coach and bench. Personally thought the trey was definitely past the buzzer although I wasn’t too sure about the lay-up.
yeah the coach was definitely not happy! imho i felt both calls were accurate, especially the lay-up – the buzzer clearly sounded before she went up. she should have just made a jump shot!