Story by Ellis Yap/Red Sports. Photos by Matthew Lau/Red Sports
Charmaine Koh (RI #9) attempts to break through NJC’s defence. (Photo 1 © Matthew Lau/Red Sports)
Singapore Basketball Centre, Friday, May 16, 2015 — Despite struggling on offense for most part of the game, Woon Wei Jing (#12) showed up when it mattered the most. Her clutch shot helped Raffles Institution (RI) secure a 40–36 victory over National Junior College (NJC) to claim third place. This comes after a tough loss to Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) in the semi-final.
RI came into the game with a few of their key players still recovering from an intense overtime loss against HCI that saw three of their players leaving the game due to cramps. However, that did not stop RI from establishing an early 6–2 lead in the opening quarter with Charmaine Koh (RI #9) scoring seven of her nine total points in the first quarter alone.
However, Dawn Liew (NJC #11) knocked down two consecutive three-pointers to give NJC a 12–8 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
At the start of the second period, a sloppy inbound pass from RI was intercepted by Chok Xin Yan (NJC #6) and Selina Fang (NJC #5) converted the wide open layup. Riding on the momentum, NJC switched their defense to a full-court press, hoping to wear down RI and establish control of the game.
Their tactics backfired as RI followed suit with a similar plan, forcing NJC to commit three fouls in the final three minutes while going on a 6–2 run to end the period. However, NJC managed to stay ahead with a score of 22–17.
After the break, Woon Wei Jing (RI #12) sank her first three-pointer of the game and helped RI outscore NJC 9–7 and reduce the deficit to 26–29.
NJC imposed their will right from the start of the fourth quarter, scoring without much resistance from the RI squad. The fatigue built up over the previous game seemed to be taking a toll on RI. NJC achieved their biggest lead of the game at eight points (34–26) after a three-pointer by Gwen Sim (NJC #4).
The situation looked rosy for NJC as RI continued to miss their shots. Just as NJC were about to celebrate, RI came back roaring with a 10–3 run, sparked by Bernice Yeo (RI #4). RI managed to trim the deficit to just one point late in the quarter.
NJC were unable to find their footing with RI charging back into the game. Sevilla Chea (RI #14) scored a short jumper just inside the three-point arc to put RI up by one. On the ensuing possession, NJC committed a lethal turnover, allowing Woon Wei Jing (RI #12) to sink the wide-open trey with less than 30 seconds on the clock. The clutch shot sealed the deal and got the supporters on their feet as RI took home the victory.
With regard to their season, Woon Wei Jing (RI #12) said, “We managed to go through the training together as a team – before and during the season. Our team really put in a lot of effort throughout the season. Though some of the training sessions were tougher, we managed to pull through as a team. We had some foul trouble during the game and we were physically and mentally tired, but we still pushed on and worked hard for the victory.”
Scoring by quarter
RI vs NJC
1st Quarter: 8–12
2nd Quarter: 9–10 (17–22)
3rd Quarter: 9–7 (26–29)
4th Quarter: 14–7 (40–36)
Top scorers
RI
Bernice Yeo (#4) – 11 points
Charmaine Koh (#9) – 9 points
Woon Wei Jing (#12) – 8 points (2 x 3-pointer)
NJC
Dawn Liew (#11) – 12 points (2 x 3-pointer)
Gwen Sim (#4) – 8 points (2 x 3-pointer)
RI Roster
Bernice Yeo (#4), Shriya (#5), Rachel Mok (#6), Carisia Lee (#7), Stephanie (#8), Charmaine Koh (#9), Jie En (#10), Shang Mengge (#11), Woon Wei Jing (#12), Thasnova Rahman Thamim (#13), Sevilla Chea (#14), Shalleeni (#15)
NJC Roster
Gwen Sim (#4), Selina Fang (#5), Chok Xin Yan (#6), Quah Jing Wen (#7), Vera Phang (#8), Kristerbel Pang (#9), Kho Yan Xin (#10), Dawn Liew (#11), Lenet Kong (#12), Emer Hoon (#13), Ng Jing Yi (#14), Eleana Tan (#15)
National A Division Girls’ Basketball Championship — fixtures and results
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