By Zachary Foo/Red Sports

Gordon Leong (FMS #8) makes a lay up despite the contact from his marker. (Photo 1© Zachary Foo/Red Sports)

Clementi Sports Hall, Tuesday, August 12, 2014 — Fairfield Methodist School (FMS) continued their winning ways with a 60–34 win over Manjusri Secondary (MJR) in the first round of the National C Division Boys Basketball Championship. Xavier Ng (FMS #13) led all scorers with 19 points, while Zhang Sibo (MJR #7) paced his team with 14 points.

Fairfield Methodist now lie at the top of Group C with a 2–0 win-loss record, while Manjusri have an 0–2 win-loss record and are at the bottom of the group.

Fairfield Methodist started the first quarter on a 12–0 run. Denzel Tan (FMS #5) started things off with a three-pointer after the tip. Xavier Ng (FMS #13) and John Ang (FMS #9) then combined for 7 points off turnovers to contribute to the run. Manjusri struggled to get the ball into the paint, as they swung the ball around the perimeter with no success.

The second quarter saw Manjusri start to find their groove, as they went on a 6–0 run early on. However, Fairfield Methodist then extended their lead with some good set plays. Fairfield Methodist struggled a little on offence, as they were whistled for a couple of three second violations in the period.

Fairfield Methodist’s full court press helped them to extend their lead even further in the third period. Timothy Har (FMS #4), Denzel Tan (FMS #5) and John Ang (FMS #9) worked in unison to pressure the Manjusri ball-handlers. This led to a lot of steals, which they put away for easy points. Xavier Ng (FMS #13) had a lot of scoring opportunities in the paint and he would have been able to increase his point total if not for his poor finishing.

Timothy Har (FMS #4) continued his good performance into the fourth quarter, leading his team’s second unit as well. His good decision-making and shooting helped to pace his team through their occasional slumps. Fairfield Methodist continued to use the full-court press, which allowed them to slowly wear out Manjusri and close out the game. They eventually won 60–34, claiming their second win of the national campaign.

Fairfield Methodist captain, Denzel Tan (#5), said, “We started badly early on, but the second team managed to hold the lead. In the end, we worked hard and pushed ourselves. In our future matches, we have to improve our mentality towards the game and reduce complacency.”

Scoring by Quarter
Manjusri Secondary vs Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary)
1st Quarter: 5–19
2nd Quarter: 7–9 (12–28)
3rd Quarter: 7–15 (19–43)
4th Quarter: 15–17 (34–60)

Top Scorers
Manjusri
Zhang Sibo (#7) – 14 points

FMS
Xavier Ng (#13) – 19 points
Timothy Har (#4) – 12 points

Manjusri Roster
Zhang Sibo (#7)

We were unable to obtain the complete roster for Manjusri Secondary. If you recognise any of the players, please post them in the comments below and we’ll update the post. Thanks.

FMS Roster
Timothy Har (#4), Denzel Tan (#5), Leonard Tay (#6), Leon Lai (#7), Gordon Leong (#8), John Ang (#9), Nicholas Png (#10), Nicholas Leong (#11), Ryan Mok (#12), Xavier Ng (#13), John Vanan (#14), Jin Shengde (#15)

National C Division Boys Basketball Championship — Fixtures and Results

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