Story by Lim De Jun/Red Sports. Photos by Chan Hua Zheng/Red Sports

Dinesh Allastair (ACSB #2) going up strong for a layup. He finished with a game-high 22 points in the victory. (Photo © Chan Hua Zheng/Red Sports)

Dinesh Allastair (ACSB #2) going up strong for a layup. He finished with a game-high 22 points in the victory. (Photo 1 © Chan Hua Zheng/Red Sports)

Delta Sports Hall, Thursday, March 3, 2016 — Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) were crowned zonal champions after they defeated Yuying Secondary (YYS) 79-53 in the final of the South Zone B Division Basketball Championship.

The win saw them finish the zonal championship with a win-loss record of 10-0.

Lavin Raj (ACSB #10) recorded a near triple-double of 18 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks. Dinesh Allastair (ACSB #2) had a game-high of 22 points while Chay Wen Fu (YYS #6) had a team high of 21 points.

Both teams played aggressive offense and the first basket was scored by Dinesh (ACSB #2).

Despite being underdogs, Yuying were not affected by their opponents’ reputation and hustled for every ball. Yuying found a loophole in ACS Barker’s defense to score a fast break layup for their first points but it was Lavin (ACSB #10) who stood out with seven rebounds just in the first quarter alone.

ACS Barker controlled the rebounds and this allowed them to build a 10-point (25-15) lead at the end of a high-scoring first quarter.

In the second quarter, Yuying stepped up on their defensive game to prevent ACS Barker from scoring 3-pointers. However, Lavin (ACSB #10) was able to make use of his huge build inside the paint to cause a lot of damage. In the meantime, a vocal ACS Barker crowd cheered their team on to boost their morale.

Sherman Seet (ACSB #11) highlighted the first half with a euro-step move but Yuying were not fazed and fought back to close the gap. They managed to score most of the baskets attempted despite the tight defense put up by ACS Barker.

Ang Wei Jie (YYS #8) stood out with a strong power dribble move as his team managed 10 points in the quarter. Even so, they still trailed by 20 points (25-45) at half time.

Third quarter started with a monster block by Lavin (ACSB #10) on his opponent. Yuying calmed down, and were less rushed and took their time to ensure the smooth running of their plays. This translated into Yuying’s highest-scoring quarter with 18 points, which included two consecutive 3-pointers from Kenneth Tan (YYS #5).

After a timeout was called, Yuying changed their offensive gameplan, relying on quick ball and player movement while spreading the floor to stretch the defense and open up driving lanes.

Wen Fu (YYS #6) put together two consecutive 3-pointers as the quarter ticked down but it ACS Barker who still held a commanding 20-point, 63-43 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The last quarter started yet again with two consecutive blocks by Lavin (ACSB #10). Wen Fu (YYS #6) also scored another pair of 3-pointers while Ram Sunda Putra (ACSB #30) dropped three 3s.

ACS Barker outscored Yuying 16-10 in the final quarter to comfortably wrap up the zonal title, 79-53.

Captain Ram (ACSB #30) said, “I feel really happy for my team. We trained really hard during the holidays, sacrificing so much time just for this championship title and it paid off.

“As for our game today, I have to say that we have done our best and we’ve played quite well. However, there are bound to be some minor mistakes which we can work on and improve our game.

“Yuying played really courageously today. They continued to strive on and fought really hard despite our lead and I applaud them for that,” added Ram.

Scoring By Quarter
ACS Barker vs Yuying
1st Q: 25-15
2nd Q: 20-10 (45-25)
3rd Q: 18-18 (63-43)
4th Q: 16-10 (79-53)

Top Scorers
ACS Barker
Dinesh Allastair (#2) – 22 points (with 1 x 3-pointer)
Sherman Seet (#11) – 20 points (with 4 x 3-pointers)
Lavin Raj (#10) – 18 points

Yuying
Chay Wen Fu (#6) – 21 points (with 4 x 3-pointers)
Ariel Lee Jun Wei (#11) – 9 points (with 1 x 3-pointer)
Kenneth Tan Yi Yang (#5) – 8 points (with 2 x 3-pointers)

ACS Barker Roster
Dinesh Allastair Rajandhran (#2), Jerome Wong Jia Sheng (#6), V Lavin Raj (#10), Sherman Seet Ding Xun (#11), Ruhan Ramathas (#12), Seat Yue Hent (#13), Jevin Surjo (#14), Wallace Por Ye Kai (#15), Sam Park JungWoo (#22), Clifford Chia Chin Cheng (#27), Ram Sunda Putra S/O Sangaran V(#30)

Yuying Roster
Gerald Lim Yi Hao (#4), Kenneth Tan Yi Yang (#5), Chay Wen Fu (#6), Parry Chua Jia Wei (#7), Ang Wei Jie (#8), Glenn Hoo Yi Qian (#9), Ariel Lee Jun Wei (#11), Tan Yu (#12), Teo Xin Kiat (#13), Wong Wei Hong (#14), Chee Jia Ming (#21), Keith Teo Zhe Ming (#23)

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