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

Jovi Lim (RI #11) goes for the layup. Jovi was joint top-scorer with 9 points in the game. (Photo 1 &copy: Laura Lee/Red Sports)

Clementi Sports Hall, Wednesday, March 26, 2014 — Raffles Institution rode a strong second half to post a 41–29 win over Yishun Secondary in the first round of the National B Division Boys Basketball Championship. Chean Shao Jie (RI #6) and Jovi Lim (RI #11) led all scorers with nine points apiece, while Ong Zi Wen (YSS #9) paced his team with seven.

The first half saw both teams struggle offensively, as they combined for a mere 22 points at the end of the half. Raffles could not find their shot early on, with Justin Yeo (RI #10) missing plenty of open three-pointers early on. When they resorted to driving into the paint, their attempts were altered by the outstretched arms of Leon Lee (YSS #15). Despite their success on defence, Yishun could not transfer it into their offense. Their fast breaks were not controlled, resulting in missed layups.

Both teams went through a seven-minute scoring drought in the second quarter. Huang Daran (RI #13) finally broke
the drought with a three-pointer from the wing. Zi Wen (YSS #9) answered back with a three-pointer of his own on the ensuing possession. The quarter featured a lot of defensive play, as both teams did well to lock the other team down. Jovi (RI #11) was a force for his team, notching three blocks in the period.

Raffles started to gain momentum in the second half, gradually pulling away from Yishun. Yishun did not help its cause by missing open layups, which hurt the team severely. Raffles went on a 6–0 run near the end of the third quarter to give them a comfortable lead.

Even though Yishun did well to keep pace with Raffles throughout the game, it all came apart for them in the last three minutes of the game. After Leon (YSS #15) made a foul-in to cut the deficit to three at one point, that was as close as Yishun got. Raffles would go on a 9–0 run to end the game, winning 41–29.

RI captain, Jovi Lim (#11), said, “We were not used to it. The whole game did not turned out as planned and some players were not ready. We had to pick ourselves up after a bad first half, when our scoring output was low. Even when we are losing, we cannot afford to score so little. We have to step up in the next game to do better.”

Scoring by Quarter
Raffles Institution vs Yishun Secondary
1st Quarter: 4–8
2nd Quarter: 6–4 (10–12)
3rd Quarter: 14–6 (24–18)
4th Quarter: 17–11 (41–29)

Top Scorers
Raffles Institution
Chean Shao Jie (#6) – 9 points
Jovi Lim (#11)- 9 points

Yishun
Ong Zi Wen (#9) – 7 points

Raffles Institution Roster
Ivan Sia (#4), Marcus Soon (#5), Chean Shao Jie (#6), Tristen Zheng (#7), Shivanand Kumanan (#8), Zhang Fuli (#9), Justin Yeo (#10), Jovi Lim (#11), Mark Yeo (#12), Huang Daran (#13), Yang Gan (#14), Danny Goh (#15)

Yishun Roster
Levin Yeo (#4), Zhou Qun Shan (#5), Chong Zhao Hui (#6), Gan Hong Jie (#7), Eden Oh (#8), Ong Zi Wen (#9), Dion Low (#10), Benjamin Cheong (#11), Zhang Wei Hong (#12), Zhu Zhi Qiang (#13), Nay Myo Naing (#14), Leon Lee (#15)

National B Division Boys Basketball Championships — Fixtures and Results

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