Story and photos by REDintern Low Zheng Yu
Dillion Yap (PH #7) fakes to get the defender in the air. He had a game-high 15 points. (Photo 1 © Low Zheng Yu/Red Sports)
OCBC Arena, Monday, February 13, 2017 — Bowen Secondary (BS) gave up their lead down the stretch, allowing Presbyterian High School (PH) a 39-36 comeback victory in the North Zone B Division Basketball Boys Championship.
With this win, Presbyterian High hold a perfect 6-0 win-loss record. They play Woodgrove next.
Bowen, on the other hand, have lost both their Round 2 games and will play Naval Base next.
Bowen got off to a good start. They made their open shots and were in a good rhythm.
Presbyterian High, however, were not doing as well. They were cold on their shooting, missing open jumpers and layups.
However, halfway through the first quarter, Lee Yao Hong (BW #11) suffered a sprained ankle and had to stop playing. This limited Bowen’s offensive capabilities as Yao Hong (BW #11) was an offensive spark.
Despite that, the other players from Bowen rose to the occasion. They scored and limited Presbyterian High’s offense with their defense. The first quarter ended with Bowen leading 10-2.
Presbyterian High did not let that affect them but instead continued to play ball. They calmly set up plays for each other, driving into traffic to draw fouls. Presbyterian High made use of the chances at the free throw line to keep the game close.
The first half ended with Bowen up 19-13.
Bowen continued their sharp shooting, maintaining their lead. Meanwhile Presbyterian High continued to chip away at the score slowly.
In the fourth quarter, Presbyterian High finally got into their rhythm and mounted a furious come back. They set up their full court press defense to force turnovers off Bowen. These turnovers led to fast-break points for Presbyterian High.
A crucial three made by Foo Yong Ming (PH #12) cut the lead Bowen had to three points. This boosted the morale of Presbyterian High as they forced another turnover and scored on the ensuing fast-break.
Presbyterian High had momentum and forced yet another turnover resulting in another fast-break. This gave them their first lead of the game at 31-30.
As Presbyterian High scored once again to gain a three-point lead, Darryl Chan (BW #17) made a clutch three to tie things up at 33-33.
However, Dillion Yap (PH #7) took over the game. He drove into traffic and made a tough and-one basket. He completed the three-point play to extend Presbyterian High’s lead by three. Thereafter, he also made three clutch free throws to bring the lead up to six points.
Undaunted, Jerome Soh (BW #10) of Bowen made a tough and-one basket of his own as well. This cut the lead Presbyterian High had to just three.
With this fighting chance, Bowen called a timeout to craft up a play for sharp shooter Darryl Chan (BW #17).
Anticipating that, Presbyterian High tightened their defense and locked down Darryl Chan (BW #17). He had no space to shoot and with time slowly ticking away, he forced a shot up but his prayers were not answered, allowing Presbyterian High to secure their 39-36 comeback victory.
Captain Dillion Yap (PH #7) of Presbyterian High said, “After the first three quarters we realized our mistake and played man. We also slowed down the tempo to play slowly.
“We were too anxious in the first three quarters and whenever they (Bowen) scored, we became even more anxious to score which messed up our rhythm. In the end as things went our way, we were able to get our points back up slowly.
“We will be up against Woodgrove next. They are very big-sized and will be a good opponent to play with. I am confident in my team as we will work harder and improve from our mistakes.”
Scoring by Quarter
Presbyterian High vs Bowen
1st Q: 2-10
2nd Q: 11-9 (13-19)
3rd Q: 7-8 (20-27)
4th Q: 19-9 (39-36)
Top Scorers
Presbyterian High
Dillion Yap (#7) – 15 pts
Bowen
Darryl Chan (#17) – 14 pts
Presbyterian High Roster
Ivan Kau (#4), Kovan Toh (#5), Dillion Yap (#7), Barry Yeong (#9), Tang Kah Wai (#10), Foo Yong Ming (#12), Constantin Lim (#13), Jaron Ng (#15), Kievan Chang (#16), Andy Tan (#24), Aaron Chaw (#26), Jerel Tan (#34)
Bowen Roster
Melvin Jovan Gho (#0), Jacky Lim Chye Huat (#2), Avinesh S/O Sangaraju (#4), Jerome Soh Zheng Hao (#10), Lee Yao Hong (#11), Oh Hong Leng Lucas (#12), Ng Zhiyong (#42), Chan Jing Quan, Darryl (#17), Nestor Chua Jun Wei (#18), Clement Choo (#23), Darshan S/O Pragash (#24), Nicholas Liew Thai Kent (#46)
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