Story by REDintern Lim De Jun. Photos by Clara Yuan/Red Sports
Morven Tan (BMS #13) and Kuldeepar (SGS #10) fighting for the rebound. (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)
Guangyang Secondary School, Thursday, February 5, 2015 — Serangoon Garden Secondary (SGS) defeated Bukit Merah Secondary (BMS) 40–36 in the preliminary round of the South Zone B Division Basketball Championship.
With this win, SGS hold a win-loss record of 3–1, and advance to the second round.
Toh Jun Jie (SGS #8) scored a team-high 13 points while Jacob Ganbold (BMS #9) led his team with 15 points, including three three-pointers.
SGS had a great start, taking advantage of their high energy to cut through the defences of BMS in the first quarter. The quarter ended with SGS taking a 8–4 lead.
Toh Jun Jie (SGS #8) was quick on the defensive end, as he stole six BMS possessions for easy SGS breaks. He scored 11 points of his 13 points in the second quarter alone. BMS did not give up despite trailing, as they managed to stop SGS on some possessions. However, their efforts were not enough to help them turn the tide. SGS led BMS 25–9 at the end of the quarter.
Both teams played tight defense in the third quarter, not allowing any easy drives to the basket. Both teams ensured that their opponents did not have any open spaces to earn extra points. SGS still managed to score outscore BMS 5–2 in the quarter.
Despite trailing by 19 points, BMS did not let themselves feel defeated by the numbers on the scoreboard, as they started to catch up to tie the game. Jacob Ganbold (BMS #9) knocked down three three-pointers in just three minutes.
After Darryl Koh (SGS #6) scored a basket off an assist by Terence Tan (SGS #4), BMS responded with a fast break by Jacob (BMS #9) off an assist by Muhammad Saadan (BMS#7). Nicholas Soh (BMS #12) made a pretty fake to shake off his defender, and passed the ball to Clive Sng (BMS #13) on the left for the basket.
BMS had an impressive fourth-quarter comeback, outscoring SGS 25–10, but SGS were able to hold on to a four-point lead at the final buzzer.
Serangoon Garden captain, Wesley Wong (SGS #9), said, “We started playing how we would normally play at the start but we have slackened off after the second quarter. We got really complacent after the first half, which led us to play badly in the second half. There is definitely room for improvement for our team. I nominate Toh Jun Jie (SGS #8) as the best player for the team as he showed really good support for our team and he did not hog the ball at all.”
Bukit Merah’s captain, Navik Low (BMS #11), said, “Our team did not play as well at the start, causing the opponent to have the upper hand against us, but we managed to wake up and fight back against Serangoon Garden in the later half. I feel that everyone really played well as a team and it is a team contribution that have brought us to where we are.”
Scoring by Quarter
Serangoon Garden vs Bukit Merah
1st Q: 8–4
2nd Q: 17–5 (25–9)
3rd Q: 5–2 (30–11)
4th Q: 10–25 (40–36)
Top scorers
Serangoon Garden
Toh Jun Jie (#8) – 13 points (1 x 3-pointers)
Bukit Merah
Ganbold Jacob (#9) – 15 points (3 x 3-pointers)
Serangoon Garden roster
Terence Tan (#4), Johansen (#5), Daryl Koh (#6), Darryle (#7), Toh Jun Jie (#8), Wesley Wong (#9), Kuldeepar (#10), Tay Hock Soon (#11), Vinayagmoorthy (#12), Morven Tan (#13), Kent Lee (#14), Zeus Lim (#15)
Bukit Merah roster
Sohn Hyeon Jun (#4), Lim Hong De (#5), Bryan Chua (#6), Muhammad Saadan (#7), Kenny Chay (#8), Ganbold Jacob Batmuk (#9), Leong Kah Sheng (#10), Navik Low (#11), Nicholas Soh (#12), Clive Sng (#13), Sherman Tan (#14), Reily Lim (#15)
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