Story by REDintern Lim Yi Fei. Photos by REDintern Benedict Yeo.
Nadirah (Unity #8) leaps past her opponent to score for her team. (Photo 1 © Benedict Yeo/Red Sports)
Clementi Sports Hall, Wednesday, April 5, 2017 — Unity Secondary School beat Yishun Town Secondary 44-37 in the second round group stage of the National B Division Girls Basketball Championship. The result also squashed Yishun Town’s hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Alayna (USS #11) had a game high of 12 points while teammate Nazirah (USS #5) had 10.
Nur Afiyah (YT #5) led her team with 12 points while teammate Xie Muqi (YT #11) had 7.
With so much at stake, the Yishun girls were clearly nervous and paid for their unusually sloppy shooting. With shooting guard Alayna (USS #11) leading gameplay, Unity advanced quickly on fast breaks, leaving their opponents trailing in their wake. Not even strong defence from the Yishun Town’s Misban sisters could stop them.
“Our rebounds, communication and teamwork were good today,” said Unity’s shooting guard Alayna (Unity #11). “By encouraging each other, we did well. When we made mistakes on court for other games, we would shout at each other but for today’s game, we made the effort to cheer each other on.”
Despite their characteristic strong defensive showing from Nur Afiyah (YT #5) and Nur Afifah (YT #8), Unity led from start to finish, punishing careless turnovers and inaccurate shooting.
The result meant Unity finished third and Yishun Town fourth in their group, sending North Vista and Christ Church through to the semi-finals, where they will meet Jurong Secondary and Singapore Chinese Girls’ School.
Points by Quarter
Unity vs Yishun Town
1st Q: 9-3
2nd Q: 24-8 (15-5)
3rd Q: 8-11 (32-19)
4th Q: 12-26 (44-37)
Top Scorers
Unity
Alayna (#11) – 12 pts
Nazirah (#5) – 10 pts
Yishun Town
Nur Afiyah Bte Misban (#5) – 12 pts
Xie Muqi (#11) – 7 pts
Unity Roster
Nazirah (#5), Videl (#6), Jeslyn (#7), Nadirah (#8), Alayna (#11), Adilah (#12), Celest (#13), Eunice (#15), Syazwani (#17), Esther (#23), Bonnie (#77)
Yishun Town Roster
Poh Rui Han (#0), Charlotte Lee Li Xuan (#4), Nur Afiyah Bte Misban (#5), Gin Chong Manyun (#6), Junnie Lisa Putri Karni (#7), Nur Afifah Bte Misban (#8), Ong Xuan Yi, Mabel (#10), Xie Muqi (#11), Jennifer Chue Jing Wen (#12), Regina Kaw Zhuan Hwee (#13), Natasha Shoba Sivalingam (#14), Fiona Tan Yu Xuan (#17)
More photos next page
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