By Zachary Foo/Red Sports

Stephanie Tan (USS #13) tussles for the ball with Ashmita Rai (DYS #7). Ashmita led all scorers with 16 points. (Photo 1 © Zachary Foo/Red Sports)

Clementi Sports Hall, Monday, August 3, 2014 — Unity Secondary (USS) edged out Deyi Secondary (DYS) 35–25 in the first round of the National C Division Girls Basketball Championship. Ashmita Rai (DYS #7) led her team with 16 points, while Janae Toh (USS #10) led her team with 10 points in a winning effort.

Unity are now joint-top of Group P with a 1–0 win-loss record alongside Singapore Chinese Girls’ School. SCGS beat Bedok View Secondary 62–17 in the other match played today.

Unity had a shaky start to the first period. After making the first basket after the tip-off, they proceeded to miss the next four jumpers. Ashmita Rai (DYS #7) did well to keep her team in the game, scoring and rebounding almost all the time. Unity went into their full court press, but Deyi were able to occasionally break through it with long balls to Ashmita (DYS #7). Unity were able to end the quarter with a slim three-point lead.

The second period was a closer affair, which saw both teams dominate at certain points. Unity were the first to act, as Janae Toh (USS #10) got her engine going in the period. She scored seven points in a row in the quarter, fueling her personal 7–0 run. Ashmita Rai (DYS #7) then broke her run, going on a 5–0 run of her own to keep Deyi close.

Both teams struggled to score at the start of the third period, ss it was mostly errant passes changing possession. Janae Toh (USS #10) ended the drought with a three-pointer, which put Unity up by seven. Unity found themselves in the penalty with three minutes left, but Poon Xuan Ling (DYS #15) was unable to take advantage of it. She drew two fouls during that period, but could only make one out of four free throws.

Deyi slowly creeped back into the game in the final period. At one point, they cut the lead to seven after a jumper by Lim Ja Suen (DYS #11). However, Stephanie Tan (USS #13) and Videl Lim (USS #5) did well on defence for Unity. Videl (USS #5) had a great sequence to help Unity keep their lead. She beat the rest of the Deyi team for a fast break layup, followed by a nice steal on the ensuing possession. In the end, Unity came out of the game 35—25 winners.

Unity captain, Stephanie Tan (#13), said, “I think my team did really well today. We were on form throughout the match and we improved on the mistakes we made in our previous game. We will train hard to do better in our next few matches.”

Scoring by Quarter
Deyi Secondary vs Unity Secondary
1st Quarter: 7–10
2nd Quarter: 9–10 (16–20)
3rd Quarter: 4–8 (20–28)
4th Quarter: 5–7 (25–35)

Top Scorers
Deyi
Ashmita Rai (#7) – 16 points
Poon Xuan Ling (#15) – 4 points

Unity
Janae Toh (#10) – 10 points
Nur Syazwani (#14) – 8 points

Deyi Roster
Koh Hui Xin (#4), Gavia Lim Wan Lin (#5), Azra Begum (#6), Ashmita Rai (#7), Valerie Pang Ke Xuan (#8), Preeyanan Tulawasircharoen (#9), Teoh Shiok Zhen (#10), Lim Ja Suen (#11), Phoebe Looi Sok Yee (#12), Anne Ting (#13), Seow Rui Xuan (#14), Poon Xuan Ling (#15)

Unity Roster
Iffa (#4), Bonnie Ku (#5), Celest Wang (#6), Teh Jia Yi (#7), Olivia Ee (#8), Foo Chun Xuan (#9), Janae Toh (#10), Nuradilah (#11), Jeslyn Ng (#12), Stephanie Tan (#13), Nur Syazwani (#14), Videl Lim (#15)

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