Story by Lim Yi Fei/Red Sports. Photos by Lee Jian Wei/Red Sports.

northzone basketball round 2

Louis Ho (#3) of Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary shoots the ball against Yeo Yuan Jun (#33) of Christ Church Secondary. (Photo 1 © Lee Jian Wei/Red Sports)

Singapore Basketball Centre, Monday, February 12, 2018 — Steady full court passes allowed Christ Church Secondary (CC) to overcome Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary (AI) 84-23 in the second round of the North Zone B Division Basketball Championship.

With this win, Christ Church remained undefeated with a 4-0 win-loss record. Ahmad Ibrahim dropped to 1-3.

Wong Yi Dian (CC #20), Hsieh Yu Lin (CC #27) and Yeo Yuan Jun (CC #33) chipped in 13 points apiece while Ernest (AI #2) led his team with a game-high 16 points.

As soon as the ball was tipped, Christ Church’s defensive strategy to double-team their opponents worked well early on as Ahmad Ibrahim had difficulty in passing the ball. Courtesy of their lanky players, Christ Church dominated Ahmad Ibrahim by forcing their opponents into frequent turnovers.

Ahmad Ibrahim trailed 4-16 in the first quarter.

Knowing that height was their disadvantage, Ahmad Ibrahim executed double screens on offence and passed the ball out to the perimeter for long-range shot attempts whenever possible.

However, turnovers marred Ahmad Ibrahim’s opportunities as Christ Church capitalised on their opponents’ sloppy passes to quickly extend the lead to 47-4 at halftime.

Ahmad Ibrahim were of no match for their rivals’ pace. They could only watch as their opponents destroyed them with their ‘last man’ technique.

By the end of the third quarter, Ahmad Ibrahim trailed 12-66.

Determined to finish off their rivals, Christ Church continued to score baskets off Ahmad Ibrahim’s turnovers.

Eventually, it was too much for Ahmad Ibrahim to handle as Christ Church secured the 84-23 victory.

Christ Church’s captain Pan Ming Hui (#34) said: “Our team effort for this game was better and we are improving. Our offence was not so good as we still missed baskets.

“We can work on our defense, rebounds and communication. Offensively, we have to also shoot more baskets.”

Ahmad Ibrahim’s Tanner (#33) said: “Our team did well on offence and scored a lot of baskets. Despite going up against a tough team, I am quite glad that we managed our offence well. We can definitely improve on our defense, however.”

Scoring by Quarter
Christ Church vs Ahmad Ibrahim
1st Q: 16–4
2nd Q: 31–0 (47–4)
3rd Q: 19–8 (66–12)
4th Q: 18–11 (84–23)

Top Scorers
Christ Church Secondary
Wong Yi Dian (#20) – 13 pts
Hsieh Yu Lin (#27) – 13 pts
Yeo Yuan Jun (#33) – 13 pts

Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary
Ernest (#2) – 16 pts

Christ Church Secondary Roster
Wong Yi Dian (#20), Soh Jing Wei Jason (#21), Gian Rafael Bernardo Palermo (#22), Rico Jann Iv Liu Jia Jun (#23), Gan Zi Kang Kenji (#24), Yu Yaw Wuei Terrell (#25), Lau Shi Hong (#26), Hsieh Yu Lin (#27), Yeo Jun Loong, Marcus (#28), Lin Kai Yao (#30), Robert Guile Fernandez Maranan (#31), Nyan Lin (#32), Yeo Yuan Jun (#33), Pan Ming Hui (#34), Koh Jun Hao Brendon (#35)

Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary Roster
Denzel (#0), Jeremy (#1), Ernest (#2), Louis (#3), Yik Han (#10), Elvis (#12), Sau Yong (#13), Owen (#14), Seng Yee (#18), Thomas (#21), Tanner (#33), Leroy (#55)

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