Story by Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by Laura Lee/Red Sports
Dorjee Chokka Lama (NV #4) drives his way to the basket against Unity’s tough defence. (Photo 1 © Laura Lee/Red Sports)
Clementi Sports Hall, Monday, April 21, 2014 — Unity Secondary (USS) edged out North Vista Secondary (NV) 94–90 in the semi-final of the National B Division Boys Basketball Championship.
Sim Zhen (NV #13) led all scorers with 30 points, while Thng Yong-An (USS #5) guided his team to victory with 28 points.
This is Unity’s fifth consecutive appearance in the national final since 2010. They won titles in both 2010 and 2013. They will face Dunman Secondary in the national final. Dunman beat Presbyterian 64–60 in the other semi-final to progress.
Both teams had their offences going early on. North Vista hit two quick three-pointers to take an early lead. However, they resorted to feeding Shiek Ridwan (NV #10) in the post after that. This had mixed results, as Shiek (NV #10) occasionally found himself being pushed out of position by Ko Vic Lee (USS #8). Ko Vic (USS #8) was doing well offensively for Unity, as he was aggressive in the paint. Unity led by four at the end of the first quarter.
North Vista’s shooting went cold in the second quarter, as they missed a lot of three-point attempts. Unity were able to capitalise on that by going for easy two-pointers. Yong-An (USS #5) was crucial for his team, contributing 11 points. Unity were able to extend the lead to nine at the half-time break.
Unity started to show signs of fatigue in the third quarter. North Vista were able to ride an 8–0 run to bring themselves level with Unity. However, Ko Vic (USS #8) and John Christopher (USS #6) combined for six quick points at the end of the quarter. This ensured Unity held a comfortable lead at the end of the quarter.
Up to this point in the game, Sim Zhen (NV #13) was relatively quiet. But with the game on the line, he exploded on offence. He put up 21 points in the final quarter, making mincemeat of the Unity defence. Not to be outdone, Unity kept pace with North Vista on offence, matching them basket for basket.
The crucial point of the game came at 92–90 with Unity leading. Shiek (NV #10) went to the line in a bid to tie up the game. Unfortunately, he missed both shots. Jacinth Figueroa (USS #7) was able to make the next two free throws to ice the game.
Unity will now face Dunman Secondary in the final on Thursday, April 24 at Jurong East Sports Hall at 2.45pm.
Unity’s Ko Vic (#8), said, “I think our team played really well today as a whole. We need to improve on our box outs and defence to win against Dunman. We have only one goal and that is to be national champions.”
Unity top scorer, Yong-An (#5) said, “We have to maintain our composure and not panic when we are losing. We play each point at a time and cut the deficit.”
Scoring by Quarter
North Vista Secondary vs Unity Secondary
1st Quarter: 22–26
2nd Quarter: 14–19 (36–45)
3rd Quarter: 23–21 (59–66)
4th Quarter: 31–28 (90–94)
Top Scorers
North Vista
Sim Zhen (#13) – 30 points
Shiek Ridwan (#10) – 25 points
Unity
Thng Yong-An (#5) – 28 points
Lee Ko Vic (#8) – 27 points
John Christopher (#6) – 20 points
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), Clement Sim(#11), Lim Zhi Kang (#12), Sim Zhen (#13), Darius Ong (#14), Ng Jia Le (#15)
Unity Roster
Maung Khant Htet (#4), Thng Yong-An (#5), Caraig John Christopher Bico (#6), Jacinth Figueroa Aban (#7), Lee Ko Vic Ariel Nestor (#8), Tan Min Hui (#9), Foo Jun Lin (#10), Caraig David Martin Bico (#11), Matthew Choo Ming-En (#12), Maverick Jercel E. Dasig (#13), Leon Chin Wei Chen (#14), Shahrul B Ramdan (#15)
National B Division Boys Basketball Championship — Fixtures and Results
More photos next page
Leave A Comment