Story By Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by Laura Lee/Red Sports
Christian Pepito (NVSS #5) goes for a reverse layup against Edmund Leong (BP #5). Christian led all scorers with 26 points while Edmund followed with 19 points. (Photo 1 © Laura Lee/Red Sports)
Clementi Sports Hall, Thursday, April 3, 2014 — North Vista Secondary (NV) defeated Bukit Panjang Government High (BP) 66–57 in the National B Division Boys Basketball Championship.
Christian Pepito (NV #5) put in a stirring performance on his way to 26 points. He made a lot of highlight plays that impressed the crowd watching the match. Edmund Leong (BP #5) paced his team with 19 points.
Both teams already secured qualification for the next round prior to this match. With this win, North Vista qualify top of Group B with a 3–0 win–loss record. Bukit Panjang also progress through with a 2–1 win–loss record.
North Vista gained the upper hand early on in the first quarter by deploying their full court press. They were able to force Bukit Panjang into turnovers. They then took the ball down the other end for an easy basket. Shiek Ridwan (NV #10) defended the paint like a man possessed, claiming two blocks in the first few minutes. However, North Vista were plagued by bad foul shooting. They made only two out of their first five free throw attempts.
Christian Pepito (NV #5) started to heat up in the second quarter. He made couple of key plays to give North Vista the lead. First, he threw a no-look pass in the paint to Lim Zhi Kang (NV #12) for the easy finish. He then scored on the next two North Vista possessions to give them a six-point lead. However, Bukit Panjang did not yield easily. Vignesh (BP #11) and Edmund Leong (BP #5) combined for eight points in the quarter to keep Bukit Panjang close.
North Vista threw the game wide open in the third quarter. This was due to the incredible play of Christian (NV #5). He had 14 points in the quarter, scoring 10 straight for his team at one point. North Vista’s offence was extremely fluid throughout the quarter thanks to his solid decision-making with the ball in his hands. Bukit Panjang struggled to score in the quarter, matching Christian’s total as a team.
Bukit Panjang finally found their offensive footing in the final quarter, putting up 26 points in the period. However, their defence still could not contain North Vista. North Vista eventually ended the game 66–57 winners.
North Vista captain, Dorjee (#4), said, “Both teams played well today. Bukit Panjang gave us a tough fight. Our defence was good today, that helped us seal the win. We will give our best, no matter what team we draw in the next round.”
Scoring by Quarter
Bukit Panjang Government High vs North Vista Secondary
1st Quarter: 8–12
2nd Quarter: 9–11 (17–23)
3rd Quarter: 14–25 (31–48)
4th Quarter: 26–18 (57–66)
Top Scorers
Bukit Panjang
Edmund Leong (#5) – 19 points
North Vista
Christian Co Pepito (#5) – 26 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)
North Vista Roster
Dorjee Chokka Lama (#4), Christian Co Pepito (#5), Nicholas Tay (#6), Jolo Emmanuel (#7), Fabian Low (#8), Sim Xuan (#9), Shiek Ridwan (#10), Sim Jun (#11), Lim Zhi Kang (#12), Sim Zhen (#13), Darius Ong (#14), Ng Jia Le (#15)
National B Division Boys Basketball Championships — Fixtures and Results
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