By REDintern Gan Yu Neng
Bedok Town’s Alvin Tan (#11) with sheer determination to break through the defense. (Photo 1 © Chong Ng/Red Sports)
Anglican High School, Tuesday, July 10, 2012 — After going into the fourth quarter one point behind, Bedok Town Secondary surged forth to create a decisive 31-24 victory over Bedok North Secondary.
Tan Zhang Xuen (#10) of Bedok Town was easily the tallest member of the team, as well as the most accurate shooter. Mong Chu Xun (#6) and Yap Jia Ern (#8) would drive the ball through Bedok North’s formation, passing it to Zhang Xuen to score. Zhang Xuen was also adept at making it to Bedok North’s basket before the defense could catch up after a turnover. He finished with a game-high score of 18 points.
In the second half of the game, Bedok Town upped the pace of their attack. Zhang Xuen (#10) scored two for the turnaround right at the start of the final quarter. With the score now at 19-18, Bedok Town sped up their passes to advance the ball quickly past Bedok North’s defense, and Zhang Xuen and Alvin Tan (#11) quickly put in another eight points in a scoring blitz that pulled the match irreversibly into Bedok Town’s favour.
Throughout the game, Bedok Town focused on their zone formation, with the players preferring to retreat to the basket to form up rather than attempting to steal the ball back after a change in possession. This held true even during free throws, where instead of preparing to catch rebounds, the rest of the Bedok Town team would wait in formation at the other end of the court while their free thrower made his shots.
This decision paid off as Bedok North had trouble breaking through Bedok Town’s defensive formation. Sajjad Ali (#15), as the stoutest member of his team, created a physical barrier between Bedok North and the basket, while Anthony Tan (#4), despite being the smallest player on court, kept a very energetic mark on his opponents.
The Bedok North team had its own share of strengths. Shawn Chong (#9) gave Bedok North its initial lead by scoring six points in the space of less than 20 seconds during the second quarter. Lucas Fang (#7) was able to cut through and score from the middle of Bedok Town’s zone defense, as well as catch his own offensive rebound to re-attempt shots. Both players had six points apiece.
Teo Kai Le (#10), with a team-high score of eight points for Bedok North, created scoring opportunities by either making mid-range shots over the heads of the Bedok Town defense or driving through for the lay-up.
In the end, however, Bedok North were simply unable to beat Bedok Town’s performance in the fourth quarter.
Bedok Town Secondary’s coach, Hiu Guo Rong, expressed some dissatisfaction over their performance despite the win.
“I really need to push them,” he said, “Most of the squad is Sec 1; they have no basketball background, and I only get to train with them once a week.”
Still, he admitted that there were bright spots in today’s game.
“At least there’s better understanding between the teammates … Passing today was slightly better. Obviously our number 10 (Zhong Xuen) stands an advantage, because the other team can’t guard him, so he put in the most points.”
East Zone C Division Basketball Championship — full fixtures and results
Score by Quarter
Bedok Town vs Bedok North
1st Q: 7-4
2nd Q: 4-10 (11-14)
3rd Q: 6-4 (17-18)
4th Q: 14-6
Final Score: 31-24
Top Scorers
Bedok Town
Tan Zhang Xuen (#10) – 18 points
Alvin Tan (#11) – 11 points
Nguyen Cong Hau (#9) – 2 points
Bedok North
Teo Kai Le (#10) – 8 points
Lucas Fang (#7) – 6 points
Shawn Chong (#9) – 6 points
Andy Sa (#8) – 4 points
Bedok Town Roster
Anthony Tan (#4), Jacky Chin (#5), Mong Chu Xun (#6), Daren Tan (#7), Yap Jia Ern (#8), Nguyen Cong Hau (#9), Tan Zhang Xuen (#10), Alvin Tan (#11), Alan Kwan (#12), Ong Wei Jie (#13), Willie Fang (#14), Sajjad Ali (#15)
Bedok North Roster
Andy Sa (#4), Alvin Chua (#5), Muhd Syafiq (#6), Lucas Fang (#7), Ang Teck Tiam (#8), Shawn Chong (#9), Teo Kai Le (#10), Josiah Peralta Quinola (#11), Choo Bing Hao (#13), Nat Nutchanet (#14)
More photos next page
Leave A Comment