Story By Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by Laura Lee/Red Sports

Shawn Ee (BP #7) makes an assist to Edmund Leong (BP #5) who lays the ball in to finish the play. Edmund had 19 points to lead all scorers in the game. (Photo 1 © Laura Lee/Red Sports)

Clementi Sports Hall, Monday, March 24, 2014 — Bukit Panjang Government High (BP) defeated Geylang Methodist Secondary (GMS) 49–33 in the first round of the National B Division Boys Basketball Championship.

Edmund Leong (BP #5) poured in a game-high 19 points, while Ho Zheng Xian (GMS #8) had 12 points to lead his team.

Bukit Panjang are now joint-top of Group B along with North Vista Secondary. Both teams have a 1–0 win–loss record. North Vista beat Fairfield Methodist 56–44 in the other game played today.

Vignesh (BP #11) and Edmund (BP #5) shone for Bukit Panjang early on, combining for 11 of Bukit Panjang’s 14 points in the first quarter. Not to be outdone, Lem Wai Soon (GMSS #5) and Kenneth Ang (GMSS #10) chipped in eight points to pace Geylang Methodist. Bukit Panjang’s frontcourt made use of their size to get into the paint and score. On the other hand, Geylang Methodist’s players made use of their quickness to cut into the paint.

Early in the second quarter, Bukit Panjang were unable to muster any shot attempts. Geylang Methodist showed good defensive fundamentals to rotate quickly to Bukit Panjang’s perimeter players. This deterred them from taking jumpers, eventually wearing down the clock each time. However, as the quarter wore on, Bukit Panjang eventually figured Geylang’s defence. Paced by the scoring of Edmund (BP #5), Bukit Panjang’s steady offence allowed them to open a 9-point lead at the half-time break.

The second half saw Geylang Methodist create multiple opportunities to get back into the game. Unfortunately, their finishing in the paint was lacking, wasting the effort of their players possession after possession. Bukit Panjang showed their experience, taking advantage of Geylang Methodist’s sloppy passing to score on fast breaks.

The final quarter saw Geylang Methodist threatening to make a comeback. Zheng Xian (GMSS #8) and Ponlawit (GMSS #13) scored four straight points to cut the lead to eight. But each time Geylang Methodist made a push, Bukit Panjang answered back to maintain their lead. Edmund (BP #5) and Ang Zi Yang (BP #4) were the only two scorers for Bukit Panjang in the final quarter, but they managed to outscore the whole Geylang Methodist team by four points.

Bukit Panjang took the game 49–33, sealing their first win of their National season. Bukit Panjang are currently 12–1 throughout their B Division season, with their sole loss coming against Unity in the second round of the West Zone championship. Bukit Panjang will next face Fairfield Methodist (Secondary) on Thursday, 27th March at 2:45pm at Clementi Sports Hall. Geylang Methodist will face North Vista Secondary on the adjacent court at the same time.

Scoring by Quarter
Bukit Panjang Govt High vs Geylang Methodist Secondary
1st Quarter: 14–9
2nd Quarter: 11–7 (25–16)
3rd Quarter: 11–8 (36–24)
4th Quarter: 13–9 (49–33)

Top Scorers
Bukit Panjang
Edmund Leong (#5) – 19 points
Rengarajan Vignesh (#11) – 11 points

Geylang Methodist
Ho Zheng Xian (#8) – 12 points
Ponlawit (#13) – 8 points

Bukit Panjang Roster
Ang Zi Yang (#4), Edmund Leong En Ming (#5), Lim Xiu Wei (#6), Shawn Ee Guan Aik (#7), Dini Matin B Zaini (#8), Shibukawa Youhei (#9), Tan Jia You (#10), Rengarajan Vignesh (#11), Yong Jun Wei (#12), Jerald Goh Jun Hao (#13), Low Wei Jie (#14), Tee Zhi Zhang (#15)

Geylang Methodist Roster
Benny Yeo (#4), Lem Wai Soon (#5), Khoo Peng Soon (#6), Chua Yi Xuan (#7), Ho Zheng Xian (#8), Xue Zhi Qiang (#9), Kenneth Ang (#10), Kevin Cheong (#12), Ponlawit (#13), Zhen Cong (#14), Brendan Soh (#15)

2014 National B Division Basketball Championship – fixtures and results

More photos next page