Story by REDintern Lim De Jun. Photos by Clara Yuan/Red Sports.

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(GY #13) driving the ball upcourt. (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)

Guangyang Secondary School, Thursday, February 5, 2015 — Despite leading for the first three quarters, Guangyang Secondary eventually lost 49–54 to Raffles Institution in the South Zone B Division Basketball Championship.

However, Guangyang still qualified with RI for Round 2.

Danny Goh (RI #10) led his team to victory by scoring a game high of 26 points. He was supported by Liu Jia Wei (RI #4) who scored 15 points, including one four-point play. Randy Ho (GY #7) scored a team-high 10 points.

In the first quarter, Guangyang kept RI to only three points. Guangyang managed 12 points, with Zheng Wei (GY #6) sinking a 3-pointer.

RI went to a full-court defense at the start of the second quarter, giving Guangyang a tougher time in getting to the basket. However, Guangyang had great teamwork and were able to pass the ball around swiftly and accurately with little or no turnovers, allowing them to get through the tight RI defense. However, RI started to catch up with Guangyang and trailed only by four at half time.

(GY #11) tipped in the ball after teammate #9 missed the 3-point shot to start the scoring for his team in the third quarter. Despite the threat posed by the opponent, Guangyang maintained their scoring by playing a well-rounded offense as well as good defense.

However, Danny Goh (RI #10) was still able to make his baskets as he made full use of his long reach. The quarter ended with Guangyang leading 38–31.

The tension built up as the final quarter begin. Liu Jia Wei (RI #4) made a four-point play after getting a hard foul at the 3-point line, causing the RI bench to go crazy at the wonderful play which meant their team were now down by only one point.

Timeouts were then constantly called after each team scored a basket. Guangyang players made a few outstanding plays. Randy Ho (GY #7) displayed fast handling skills as he cut past a RI player and finished with a layup. Then Randy (GY #7) and (RI #4) made back to back three point shots. After faking a drive to the basket, Zheng Wei (GY #6) passed out the ball to teammate #11 for a three-pointer. Despite many efforts, Guangyang lost their momentum and RI took advantage of the situation to turn the tide and secure a 54–49 win.

RI’s captain, Marcus Soon (#9), said, “Our team played well today, especially Danny and Jia Wei, as they were the ones that led the comeback at the final quarter. The crowd played a big part in our victory as they gave us the energy to press on.”

Scoring by Quarter
GYSS vs RI
1st Q: 12–3
2nd Q: 12–17 (24–20)
3rd Q:14–11 (38–31)
4th Q:11–23 (49–54)

Top Scorers
RI
Danny Goh Zhi Jie (#10) – 26 points
Liu Jia Wei (#4) – 15 points (2 x 3-pointers)

Guangyang
Randy Ho (#7) – 10 points

Guangyang Roster
Jerry Tan (#4), Zheng Wei (#6), Randy Ho (#7), Lin Jiaxian (#8), Wong Yijian (#9), Irfan Jeff (#10), Gerald (#12), Melvin Foo (#15)

We did not manage to obtain the complete roster for Guangyang Secondary. If anyone knows the players, please leave a comment and we’ll update the post. Thanks.

RI roster
Liu Jia Wei (#4), Zhou Zi Heng (#5), Liu Kuo (#6), Joel Koh Jia Jun (#7), Quek Sheng Leong Jordan (#8), Marcus Soon Khai Siang (#9), Danny Goh Zhi Jie (#10), Mark Lucas Yeo Jia Rui (#11), Ngiam Jia Long Brendon (#12), Kerby Soh Chern Ker (#13), Neo Yu Fan (#14), Jethro Kwong Jun Hao (#15)

2015 South Zone B Division Basketball Championship – fixtures and results

More photos next page