Story by REDintern Lim Yi Fei. Photos by REDintern Chua Zhen Rong.
Tan Kangyi (JSS #12) looks to deliver a pass to her teammate while trying to defend against a steal attempt by NYGH. (Photo 1 © REDintern Chua Zhen Rong)
Bukit Gombak Sports Hall, Tuesday, March 2, 2017 — Defensive play and ball movement allowed Jurong Secondary School (JSS) to defeat Nanyang Girls’ High School (NYGH) 58-41 in the final of the West Zone B Division Basketball Championship.
Jurong now have a perfect 6-0 win-loss record since Round 1 and they advance into the National Championship next to defend their title.
Nanyang Girls’ High drop to a 4-1 record, and will also play in the Nationals.
Tan Kang Yi (JSS #12) had a game high of 16 points.
Tan Li Qi (NYGH #9) led her team with eight points while her teammates Ivon Kong (#13) and Yang Shi Xuan (#12) had seven and six respectively.
Jurong was hard on their defence which limited their opponents to far outside the three-point line. Even though Jurong had turnovers, they managed to come back with their defence to deny Nanyang’s attempts.
Yu Xian (JSS #29) used her height to quickly shut down opposing shots, and Nanyang found it hard on offense.
Jurong fouled Nanyang thrice and gave their opponents chances to close the gap, by they still led 15-9 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter saw Jurong hustling for the ball while Nanyang shot three-pointers whenever left wide open. Nanyang also stayed close and disallowed Jurong into the paint.
However, Jurong had some tricks up their sleeves as quick passing saw Siti Suhaila (JSS #11) sink two back-to-back 3-pointers.
Led by Valarie Lim (JSS #5) and Alicia Quek (JSS #9), they easily converted turnovers from Nanyang into open fastbreaks, scoring 16 points while limiting their opponents to only seven.
Unfazed, Nanyang carried on shooting deep threes while Jurong fought back.
By halftime, Jurong led 31-16.
In the third quarter, Nanyang picked up their game and exploited the loopholes in Jurong’s defence to obtain easy layups.
Jurong reset their gameplay whenever they had offensive rebounds, allowing them to lose their defender with ease. Feeling the heat, Nanyang forced fastbreaks but quickly found themselves trapped in Jurong’s constant 2-on-1 defence, ending the third quarter trailing 31-45.
Into the last quarter, both teams went for 3-pointers whenever open. Jurong successfully slowed the game and made Nanyang play their pace while rejecting many of their attacks.
Refusing to throw in the towel, Nanyang remained calm and tried to draw fouls while looking for loopholes in Jurong’s defence.
Yu Xian (JSS #29) brutally denied two of her opponents’ under basket shots and made sure no others came into the paint in the final moments of the game to help Jurong see out the 58-41 win.
Jurong’s Valarie Lim (#5) said, “Our defence and box out was good. Our defence allowed us to get a lot of balls and not allow our opponent to cut in. However, we had quite a number of miss passes.”
Scoring by Quarter
Jurong vs Nanyang Girls’ High
1st Q: 15-9
2nd Q: 16-7 (31-16)
3rd Q: 14-17 (45-31)
4th Q: 13-8 (58-41)
Top Scorer
Jurong
Tan Kang Yi (#12) – 16 points
Nanyang Girls’ High
Tan Li Qi (#9) – 8 points
Ivon Kong (#13) – 7 points
Yang Shi Xuan (#12) – 6 points
Jurong Roster
Valarie Lim (#5), Ker Wen Qi (#7), Alicia Quek (#9), Kindra Sim Yuna (#10), Siti Suhaila (#11), Tan Kangyi (#12), Ng Luo Fei (#13), Le Yao (#14), Hannah (#19), Koh Yu Qian (#22), Richa (#24), Yu Xian (#29)
Nanyang Girls’ High Roster
Erinn Lee Shu Han (#4), Huang Shi Yun (#5), Yeong See Neng (#6), Zolynn Lau (#7), Tan Li Qi (#9), Zhang Zhe Ting (#11), Yang Shi Xuan (#12), Ivon Kong Ching Mun (#13), Liu Bao Man (#14), Goh Kung Huang (#15), Li Si Lin (#21), Jade Lenor Goh (#28)
More photos next page
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