By REDintern Dylan Chua. Photos by REDintern Chan Hua Zheng.
Linus (Bukit Panjang #8) driving for a layup. Linus scored a team high 11 points in the game. (Photo 1 © REDintern Chan Hua Zheng)
Clementi Sports Hall, Monday, January 18, 2016 — Unity Secondary knocked off zonal rivals Bukit Panjang Government High 54-36 in their opening match to lay down an early warning to their opponents in the West Zone B Division Basketball Championship.
Jercel (#23) of Unity and Linus (#8) of Bukit Panjang led their teams with 11 points each in a highly-anticipated clash between the two powerhouses.
Unity got off to a fine start by racing into a 10-2 lead within four minutes of tip-off, notching two three-pointers along the way.
With a minute left in the 1st, Prem Haran (#5) of Unity scored two to put Unity up by double-figures. However, out of a timeout, Adam (#5) of Bukit Panjang stole the ball and went for an easy two at the other end to reduce Unity’s lead to 17-8.
In the 2nd quarter, Unity started using its full court press to little effect as Bukit Panjang went on a 5-0 run to cut Unity’s lead to four. With Bukit Panjang threatening to make a comeback, Unity responded by going on a game-changing 17-2 run to close the quarter and lead 35-17 at the half.
In the 3rd, both teams were neck and neck and had answers to their opponents’ play. Yet, Unity still had the better of the exchanges, further extending their lead to 22 heading into the 4th.
A comeback at this point appeared unlikely but Bukit Panjang were not going to give up without a fight. Bukit Panjang’s defense improved significantly in the final quarter, holding their opponents to only eight points in the 4th.
However, Bukit Panjang could not find any offensive rhythm to make the game interesting as Unity led by double digits throughout the entire 2nd half en route to a morale-boosting victory.
With regard to the game, Ming Xuan (Bukit Panjang #4) said, “We did badly. We can improve by communicating more and trusting each other more.”
Captain of Unity, Jercel (#23), commented, “Our offense was ok. We defended hard and worked hard to get the win.”
Scoring by Quarter
Unity vs Bukit Panjang
1st Q: 17-8
2nd Q: 18-9 (35-17)
3rd Q: 11-7 (46-24)
4th Q: 8-12 (54-36)
Top Scorers
Unity
Jercel (#23) – 11 points
Bukit Panjang
Linus (#8) – 11 points
Unity Roster
Sam (#1), Gabriel (#3), Prem Haran (#5), Ethan (#7), Jun Heng (#10), Zixuan (#13), Sheares (#14), Jercel (#23), Brian Julian (#24), Marco (#30), Jun Jie (#35), Karl Brian (#71)
Bukit Panjang Roster
Ming Xuan (#4), Adam (#5), Glen (#6), Javen (#7), Linus (#8), Jeriel (#9), Amos (#10), Marcus (#11), Josiah (#12), Jing Jie (#13), Yong Keat (#14), Valiant (#15)
West Zone B Division Basketball Championship – fixtures and results
More photos next page
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