Story By REDintern Jiexin Neo. Photos by REDintern Clara Yuan

Bball-North-YCK-VS-WRS-5

Cameron Chan (YCK #9) attempts to block Ong Kai Jie (WRS #6) from passing the ball. (Photo 1 © REDintern Clara Yuan)

Singapore Basketball Centre, Wednesday, January 22, 2014 — Yio Chu Kang Secondary (YCK) pulled away from a tie in the first half to defeat Woodlands Ring Secondary (WRS) 46–33 in the North Zone B Division Basketball Championship.

Soh Guo Wei (YCK #7) scored a game-high 12 points, while Andy Yeow Jun Hui (WRS #7) scored a team-high 11.

Early into the game, Yio Chu Kang appeared to be the more superior team while Woodlands Ring were disorganized on both the offensive and defensive ends. Guo Wei (YCK #7) started off well, nailing two 3-pointers to spur his team offensively, and he took on a pivotal role to give Yio Chu Kang a 16–4 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Woodlands Ring were back into their game by the second, with Andy (WRS #7) initiating most of their offensive plays, driving into the key and on many occasions, choosing to dish the ball out to his open teammates. Both teams were resilient defensively, resulting in many turnovers. Six minutes into the quarter, Woodlands Ring finally managed to overcome an early deficit and drew level at 19–19 when Andy (WRS #7) sank the wide open three on the wing.

However, Lingeshwaran Vattery Val (YCK #4) was determined to keep his team’s lead, playing a huge part with composed shot attempts to ensure the first half ended with Yio Chu Kang leading 25–19.

In the third quarter, Yih Jing (WRS #14) held a strong presence in the paint and grabbed many rebounds. He also initiated many good give-and-go plays. However, Woodlands Ring were back into their disorganised state at the start of the game and struggled to put points on the scoresheet. Their bad finishing allowed the gap to widen.

Yio Chu Kang on the other hand were running fast breaks at every opportunity, leaving their defenders behind and making easy baskets. By the end of the third quarter, Woodlands RIng were trailing by 14 points.

In the final quarter, Woodlands Ring stepped up their game again, with Yih Jing (WRS #14) setting up his teammates for open chances, and with Andy (WRS #7) being extremely aggressive on his drives to the basket despite pressure from his defender. Kai Jie (WRS #6), Zhi Kai (WRS #8) and Sheng Wei (WRS #11) were also running around the perimeter, attempting to break Yio Chu Kang’s defence.

Yio Chu Kang continued to play with good team effort, especially from Chuan Qing (YCK #11) who kept trying.

Although Woodlands Ring outscored Yio Chu Kang in the last quarter, they came back into their game too late as they were overwhelmed with fatigue and were unable to convert many more open chances, thus dashing hopes for a comeback.

Woodlands Ring captain Andy Yeow Jun Hui (#7) said, “I think we did not put in our best effort and compared to our opponents, we did not want to win as badly. Also, we had a lot of miscommunications and turnovers during the game.”

Yio Chu Kang captain Lingeshwaran Vattery Val (#4) said, “To be honest, I feel that it was a pretty hard match for us. We really gave in our best for this win. The team came together and worked well together, passing to one another to get to the basket. I guess we depended a lot on trust, like passing to your teammates and believing that they will convert. I think we gave them quite a lot of turnovers today and might have given away the lead during the match, and at that point we did feel the pressure.”

Scoring by Quarter
WRS vs YCK
1Q: 4–16
2Q: 15–9 (19–25)
3Q: 4–12 (23–37)
4Q: 10–9 (33–46)
Final score: 33–46

Top Scorers
Woodlands Ring Secondary School
Andy Yeow Jun Hui (#7) – 15 points (3 x 3 pointer)

Yio Chu Kang Secondary School
Soh Guo Wei (#7) – 12 points (3 x 3 pointer)
Lingeshwaran Vattery Val (#4) – 10 points
Chan Wai Heng Cameron (#9) – 10 points (1 x 3 pointer)

Woodlands Ring Secondary School Roster
Chong Choy Jun (#4), Gordan Chen Shao Zhe (#5), Ong Kai Jie (#6), Andy Yeow Jun Hui (#7), Zhang Zhi Kai (#8), James Tuen (#9), Lai Bing Lun (#10), Wong Sheng Wei (#11), Lau Ming Han (#12), Pyae Thuta (#13), Tan Yih Jing (#14), Ryan Sim Yao Rong (#15)

Yio Chu Kang Secondary School Roster
Lingeshwaran Vattery Val (#4), Leonardo Alonzo (#5), Muhd Ryan Aqkym (#6), Soh Guo Wei (#7), Bryn Lavenesh (#8), Chan Wai Heng Cameron (#9), Pothiyappan Paul Sam (#10), Tiong Chuan Qing (#11), Ang Thiam Joe (#12), Muhd Syafiq B Mohd Azli (#13), Lim Zhen Long (#14), Jiao Dian (#15)

2014 North Zone B Division Basketball Championship – fixtures and results

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