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

Jeremy Koh (NTS #8) attempts to score past the defence of Nigel Ng (PHS #5) and Ejin Tan (PHS #6). (Photo 1 © Laura Lee/Red Sports)

Clementi Sports Hall, Monday, March 24, 2014 — Presbyterian High School (PHS) defeated New Town Secondary (NTS) 67–45 in the first round of the National B Division Boys Basketball Championship.

Denilson Soh (NTS #11) led all scorers with 17 points, while Lin Sheng Xiang (PHS #9) paced his team with 13 to lead them to the win.

With Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) beating Tanjong Katong 80–37 in the other Group A game. Presbyterian High are now tied with ACS(BR) at the top of Group A, with both teams having 1–0 win–loss records.

Presbyterian High started off the game with a 9–2 run, immediately putting New Town on the back foot. They were able to dominate the boards with the duo of Li Jiang (PHS #11) and Warren Chua (PHS #5) down low. New Town could not find a match for the physicality of the Presbyterian High post players, allowing Presbyterian High to gradually extend the lead.

A full-court press from Presbyterian High in the second quarter added to New Town’s woes, their sloppy passing presented Presbyterian High with easy baskets. A free throw by Denilson (NTS #11) helped to end a five-minute scoring drought in the quarter. Despite this, Presbyterian High only led by nine points heading into the half-time break.

New Town’s poor finishing at the basket in the quarter cost them the whole game. They had multiple open looks at the rim, but were unable to convert them. Presbyterian High’s consistency on their offensive end allowed them to open up an 18-point lead.

With their team down 24 in the final quarter, New Town did not seem like giving up at all. They pushed the tempo of the game as fast as possible, in a bid to make an unlikely comeback. Despite this, Presbyterian High were more than able to match up to their challenge, responding with a solid defence that repelled any New Town drives. Presbyterian High eventually emerged 67–45 winners, clinching a win in their opening game of Nationals.

Presbyterian High will next face Tanjong Katong Secondary on Wednesday, 26 March at 4:00pm at Clementi Sports Hall. New Town will take on ACS(BR) on the adjacent court at the same time.

Presbyterian High captain, Zhi Cai (#7), said, “We were a bit nervous since this is our first game for Nationals as a team. We did well on defence, as well as securing rebounds. This helped us to shut out New Town. Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) is our biggest threat in the group. We hope to get past them and reach the National final.”

Scoring by Quarter
Presbyterian High vs New Town
1st Quarter: 20–12
2nd Quarter: 7–6 (27–18)
3rd Quarter: 22–8 (49–28)
4th Quarter: 18–19 (67–45)

Top Scorers
Presbyterian High
Lin Sheng Xiang (#9) – 13 points
Liau Li Jiang (#11) – 12 points

New Town
Denilson Soh (#11) – 17 points

Presbyterian High Roster
Ryan Tan (#4), Nigel Ng (#5), Ejin Tan (#6), Tng Zhi Cai (#7), Eugene Han (#8), Lin Sheng Xiang (#9), Jeryl Neo (#10), Liau Li Jiang (#11), Joel Kwok (#12), Dylan Lee (#13), Lim Zhi Cong (#14), Sana Adams Lizo (#15)

New Town Roster
Ryan Ong Zheng Hong (#4), Tan Yong Liang Dominic (#5), Daniel Leong (#6), Yue Yi Xin Justin (#7), Jeremy Anand Koh Shuang Le (#8), Cleve Low (#9), Wan Min Xiong (#10), Denilson Soh Caijun (#11), Muhammad Marzuqi B Haji Kassim (#12), Kwan Weijun (#13), Patrick Low Wei Jie (#14)

2014 National B Division Basketball Championship – fixtures and results

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