by Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports
John Christopher (Unity #6) controls the ball against Kai Jie (Zhenghua #9). (Photo 1 © Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports)
Clementi Sports Hall, Thursday, January 16, 2014 — The second day of the West Zone B Division Basketball Championship saw 12 teams play their season openers. Unity, Jurongville, Boon Lay, Jurong West, School of Science and Technology and Hua Yi took home the wins over their respective opponents.
In the opening game of the day, Unity Secondary bagged a comfortable 68–22 victory over Zhenghua Secondary. Unity are the defending West Zone and National champions. Unity’s impressive backcourt trio of Yong An (#5), John Christopher (#6) and Jacinth (#10) helmed both the offensive and defensive plays.
Similar to Jurong, Unity is well-known in the zone for their full-court defensive presses. Unity’s defence forced multiple Zhenghua turnovers and converted them to fast break opportunities. Unity’s Ariel Lee (#14) poured in a game-high 14 points while Zhenghua’s Low Qi Hui (#6) contributed 8 points in the contest.
In a scrappy match-up, Jurongville Secondary survived Dunearn Secondary’s fourth quarter surge to pull away with a 43–42 victory. Ng Jin Heng (#15) scored nine of Dunearn’s 16 points in the final period, but it was not enough to propel his team to victory. Jin Heng tallied a game-high 13 points while Jurongville’s Bernard Yong (#15) recorded a team-high 12 in the contest.
In the following game, Boon Lay Secondary defeated Fajar Secondary 45–35. Boon Lay maintained a good lead throughout the entire game before allowing Fajar to catch up in the second half. Boon Lay dominated Fajar on the defensive end with their bigger physique, with Daniel Poh (#14) leading the team with multiple defensive boards. Daniel finished with a game-high 13 points.
Eugene Ng (#8) led Fajar with eight points, but it was Jeron Goh (#7) who impressed with his speed and offensive playmaking despite his petite frame. Jeron contributed seven points in the loss.
In the neighbouring court, Jurong West Secondary took down Kranji Secondary with a final score of 42–30. Kranji held a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but could not hold on to the lead and succumbed to Jurong West in the remaining quarters. Sean Tiah (#9) and Benjamin Ang (#13) both tallied 10 points each for Jurong West while Kranji’s Lyon Woo (#8) recorded a game-high 12 points.
Hua Yi Secondary capitalized on a blowout third quarter to defeat Commonwealth Secondary 40–31. Hua Yi trailed 13–15 entering the second half. Hua Yi point guard Alex Chua (#9) commanded the offence well, and propelled his team to a 19-point quarter.
On the defensive end, Hua Yi’s full-court defensive press restricted Commonwealth to only three points. Alex scored a team-high nine points while Commonwealth’s Tan Hu Soon (#10) recorded 10 points in the contest.
The final game saw School of Science and Technology overcoming Swiss Cottage Secondary to win 53–29. SST’s Wang Yi Chieh dazzled on the offensive and defensive ends, tallying 12 points and dominating the boards with his agility and athleticism. He also made several impressive blocks against Swiss Cottage. Sean Marinas (#5) scored 13 points for Swiss Cottage in the loss.
2014 West Zone B Division Basketball Championship (Boys) – Fixtures and Results
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It’s Ng Jin Heng who scored the last 9 points for Dunearn not Zandell
Thanks.
Thanks for pointing out Zandell.
Walao I number 7 la. #15 is ng jin heng!
Thanks for pointing that out, Zandell. 🙂