Story by REDintern Ryan Lim. Photos by Dylan Chua/Red Sports.

Gabriel Angelo Bautista Mesina (Ahmad Ibrahim #15) goes up strong to the basket. He finished with 15 points in the game. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

Gabriel Angelo Bautista Mesina (Ahmad Ibrahim #15) goes up strong to the basket. He finished with 15 points in the game. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

Singapore Basketball Centre, Wednesday, February 17, 2016 — Maris Stella High (MSH) had to dig deep to secure a 59-52 victory over rivals Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary (AIS) in the North Zone B Division Basketball Championship. Both teams battled each other until the very end of the game.

Maris Stella racked up valuable points as they racked up back-to-back wins. There was misery for Ahmad Ibrahim as they fell to a second straight defeat and saw their chances of qualification slowly diminish.

Albert (MSH #4) was the game’s most prolific player, scoring 26 points while Michael Justin (#8) tallied a team-high 19 points for Ahmad Ibrahim. Four players managed to hit double figures in points, with two players from each side.

Maris Stella started the game on the front foot with higher efficiency in their passing and shooting. On the contrary, Ahmad Ibrahim’s over eagerness to start strong led to rushed and inaccurate shots. Zhanxian (#14) and Gerald (#8) were Maris Stella’s key players in the first quarter, taking turns to land two-pointers. The duo scored 12 points between them in the quarter alone.

The Maris Stella bench was also notably vocal in their support of the team, showering their teammates with applause after every successful play.

The second quarter belonged to Ahmad Ibrahim as they turned the game in their favour dramatically. They outscored Maris Stella 19-10 in the quarter to overturn the deficit and take a four-point, 29-25 lead into the half-time break.

Michael Justin (#8) of Ahmad Ibrahim dragged his team forward with his direct play and accurate shooting. He displayed his shooting prowess with an array of baskets, from three-pointers to lay-ups and free-throws.

Ahmad Ibrahim’s defence was also more effective in the second quarter, limiting their opposition to hopeful three-pointers that did not amount to much.

In what proved to be a topsy-turvy game, Maris Stella answered with a comeback of their own.

The third quarter saw Maris Stella’s teamwork reap great benefits. Albert (MSH #4) bolted forward on a counter-attack, and unselfishly passed the ball to his teammate Chia Lun (#11) to net an easy two-pointer with no markers in close vicinity. A similar play was repeated less than a minute later, with Sebas (#9) providing the assist to Chia Lun (#11) this time.

Both individual brilliance and effective team play combined to hurl Maris Stella back into the lead, with the team in blue taking a 41-37 lead after the third quarter.

The fourth quarter began with Ahmad Ibrahim landing a three-pointer and converting a free throw to level it at 41-41. With the game nearing its end, and little separating the two sides, both teams were increasingly tensed. This led to several unforced errors and defensive fouls.

With only three minutes left to play, both teams were locked at 52-52. With both sides desperate for the win, Albert (MSH #4) stepped up with a three-pointer and two free-throws to put it beyond Ahmad Ibrahim.

Maris Stella High play Anderson Secondary in their next game, while Ahmad Ibrahim will be facing Christ Church Secondary in their next match.

Score by Quarter
Ahmad Ibrahim vs Maris Stella
1st Q: 10-15
2nd Q: 19-10 (29-25)
3rd Q: 8-16 (37-41)
4th Q: 15-18 (52-59)

Top Scorers
Ahmad Ibrahim
Michael Justin Nolasco Esplana (#8) – 19 points
Gabriel Angelo Bautista Mesina (#15) – 15 points

Maris Stella
Albert (#4) – 26 points
Zhanxian (#14) – 13 points

Ahmad Ibrahim Roster
Mohamed Faizal Mohamed Zafir (#14), Li Chenbin (#5), Tan Yi Xiang, Thomas (#6), Gabriel Angelo Bautista Mesina (#15), Michael Justin Nolasco Esplana (#8), Tang Wei Long (#13), Axl Teo Zheng Hui (#7), Tan Jian Hua Brandon (#12), Tay Li Yang (#4), Woon Zhan Ming (#11), Brian Sim Lee Jun Wei (#10), Chan Chen Hong (#9)

Maris Stella Roster
Albert (#4), Hung Shen (#5), Jordan (#6), Ryan (#7), Gerald (#8), Sebas (#9), Jonathan (#10), Chia Lun (#11), Yi Peng (#12), Wei Xuan (#13), Zhanxian (#14), Justin (#15)

More photos next page