Story by REDintern Thamim. Photos by REDintern Adeline Lee.

(Deyi #12) goes up strong for a layup. (Photo 3 © REDintern Adeline Lee)

(Deyi #12) goes up strong for a layup. (Photo 1 © REDintern Adeline Lee)

Singapore Basketball Centre, Wednesday, February 17, 2016 — Woodgrove Secondary (WGS) beat Deyi Secondary (DYS) 42-39 in the North Zone B Division Basketball Championship.

Despite the defeat, Deyi qualified for the semi-finals due to a better points difference. Woodgrove ended their season with a 2-1 win-loss record and third place in their grouping.

Deyi’s #12 had a game high of 14 points while Celeste (WGS #6) and Beverly (WGS #13) followed closely behind with 13 points each.

The 1st quarter saw Woodgrove leading 6-2 despite Deyi doing a full court press. However, Deyi were able to intercept a few careless passes from Woodgrove and score fast breaks to take back the lead.

The game reached a stalemate at 9-9 as both teams defended aggressively. Neither team allowed the other a chance to score their rebounds nor their fast breaks.

With 30 seconds, Celeste (WGS #6) took advantage of an open lane and scored a lay-up to give her team an 11-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Woodgrove’s attack became even more aggressive in the second quarter and their lay-ups were met with success. Furthermore, they were also able to catch and score their rebounds which widened their lead.

Deyi’s full court press became even more aggressive and they were able to intercept quite a few Woodgrove passes and score fast breaks. This evened out the score at 17-17.

A series of Woodgrove fouls gave Deyi a chance to take back the lead with free throws. Deyi’s attempts at shooting near the 3-point line were met with success, helping them to pull away.

Though Woodgrove managed to catch defensive rebounds and intercept Deyi passes, they were unable to overcome the deficit. Deyi led 26-18 at half time.

The 3rd quarter saw Woodgrove changing to a full court man defense in a bid to intercept Deyi passes. Woodgrove were able to score a few lay-ups to reduce the deficit. However, Deyi were able to break Woodgrove’s defense and score from fast breaks to maintain their lead.

Despite Woodgrove’s aggressive defense preventing Deyi from scoring their offensive rebounds, Deyi maintained a 33-23 lead heading into the 4th quarter.

The 4th quarter saw both teams bagging their defensive rebounds and scoring on their fast breaks. Woodgrove were also able to break Deyi’s full court press to score on consecutive fast breaks to reduce the deficit.

Woodgrove also kept up their aggressive defense and prevented Deyi from scoring too many points. As a result, Woodgrove were able to reduce the deficit to 36-39 with two minutes left in the game.

A three-pointer by Celeste (WGS #6) tied the score 39-39. A foul committed on Woodgrove then gave them a 40-39 lead. With less than a minute left, Woodgrove intercepted a careless pass by Deyi and scored a lay up to take home the 42-39 win.

Woodgrove captain, Beverly Tan Qi Wen (#13) said, “Our team played really good today and we were very happy to have won but we are a little disappointed that we didn’t qualify for semis. Our team also progressed a lot from the beginning and I also feel that we have improved on our friendship over the games and trainings.”

Scoring by Quarter
Deyi vs Woodgrove
1st Q: 9-11
2nd Q: 17-7 (26-18)
3rd Q: 7-5 (33-23)
4th Q: 6-19 (39-42)

Top Scorers
Woodgrove
Tan Qi Wen Beverly (#13) — 13 points
Celeste Koh Si Min (#6) — 13 points

Deyi
#12 — 14 points
#7 — 6 points
#10 — 6 points

Woodgrove Team Roster
Venus Ang Rui Xuan (#4), Lam Ee Ern Skylar (#5), Celeste Koh Si Min(#6), Chua Yu Xuan (#7), Loh Whye Leng Caroline (#8), Fathin Fadhilah Bte Zaidi (#9), Louisa Tham Qiao Lin (#10), Wee Xin Yi (#11), Chua Chi Yii (#12), Tan Qi Wen Beverly (#13), Chong Wen Hui (#14), Lim Zhixing (#15)

Deyi Team Roster
Please leave in the comments below the names and jersey numbers of the players. We will update the story. Thanks.

More photos next page