Story by Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports. Photos by Clara Yuan/Red Sports

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Christian Co Pepito (#4) looking to drive the ball past John Ang (Fairfield #10). (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)

Clementi Sports Hall, Monday, April 13, 2015 — Floor general Christian Pepito (#4) sank 30 points to lift North Vista Secondary to a 86–77 victory over South Zone champions Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) in the semi-final of the National B Division Basketball Championship.

Sim Xuan’s (North Vista #8) recovery from a leg injury was just in time to boost the firepower of the North Zone runners-up, and he finished with 12 points in the game with limited minutes. Elder brother Sim Zhen (#13) had a huge second-half output, as he scored 16 of his 22 total points in the frame.

Fairfield Methodist were led by Gavin Tay’s (#11) 21-point effort. Teammates Jerome Tan (#14) and Xavier Ng (#13) also had good offensive showings of 18 and 16 points respectively.

Both teams appeared equally matched early in the half and it was clear that the victor would be decided in the second half of the game.

In the third quarter, North Vista’s trio of Pepito (#4) and the Sim siblings erupted, helping their team best Fairfield Methodist 29–13 in the frame. The trio combined for 25 of those points, including five three-pointers to give North Vista an 18-point lead.

However, the story was very much different in the fourth and final quarter. Fairfield Methodist had an answer in their own trio of Gavin Tay (#11), Krison Sum (#12) and Jerome Tan (#14). The three combined for 23 points in the period to help reduce the deficit.

However, North Vista bit back at Fairfield Methodist’s occasional defensive lapses, and despite being outscored by nine in the period, they kept their South Zone opponents at bay and sealed the eventual victory.

“It feels great because after so long we finally managed to make it to the national final. Now we’ve just got to win the game,” said Sim Zhen (#13) of North Vista.

Scoring by Quarter
Fairfield Methodist vs North Vista
1st Quarter: 14–22
2nd Quarter: 22–16 (36–38)
3rd Quarter: 13–29 (49–67)
4th Quarter: 28–19 (77–86)

Top Scorers
Fairfield Methodist
Gavin Tay (#11) – 21 points (3 x 3-pointers)
Jerome Tan (#14) – 18 points
Xavier Ng (#13) – 16 points (1 x 3-pointer)

North Vista
Christian Co Pepito (#4) – 30 points (4 x 3-pointers)
Sim Zhen (#13) – 22 points (1 x 3-pointer)
Sim Xuan (#8) – 12 points (1 x 3-pointer)

Fairfield Methodist Roster
Ryan Chew (#4), Timothy Har (#5), Jaryl Tan (#6), Ryan Lee (#7), Andre Wong (#8), Benedict Ng (#9), John Ang (#10), Gavin Tay (#11), Krison Sum (#12), Xavier Ng (#13), Jerome Tan (#14), Nicholas Leong (#15)

North Vista Roster
Christian Co Pepito (#4), Clement Sim Han Xiang (#5), Nicholas Tay Zhi Kang (#6), Cheng Ye Hui (#7), Sim Xuan (#8), Ong Yan Zhi Darius (#9), Low Jia Jun, Fabian (#10), Cletus Ng Kai Jun (#11), Lim Zhi Kang (#12), Sim Zhen (#13), Lim Joe Yang (#14), Tiong Chuan Yao (#15)

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