BASKETBALL

adidas It Takes 5ive Schools’ Basketball Championship 2007
Bedok Green Secondary School vs Yuying Secondary School
Monday, 27 August 2007 at the Singapore Basketball Centre

Story and pictures by Leslie Tan. © Red Sports/soulbreath pictures

Bedok Green beat Yuying 41-39 in a thrilling final to capture the adidas It Takes 5ive Schools’ Basketball Championship yesterday at the Singapore Basketball Centre.

Tan Ee Ni, captain of Yuying, goes on a layup while Noor Jihadah blocks. Ee Ni scored a game-high 15 points but it was not enough to help her team win the final. © Leslie Tan/Red Sports

Yuying got off to a flying start to lead 11-4 by the end of the first quarter with captain Tan Ee Ni leading the way with seven points, including one 3-pointer. Having lost to Bedok Green by two points in the earlier round, Yuying could not have asked for a better start this time around. However, Bedok Green stayed calm enough to get their scoring going in the second quarter with Noralinda showing a good pair of hands with eight points in the quarter. By half-time, Bedok Green were still trailing by seven points at 16-23.

In the third quarter, Bedok Green narrowed the gap further. With 3:12 left on the clock, it became a one-point game when Bedok Green trailed 26-27. Yuying however did enough to stop Bedok Green from levelling the score and walked off leading by three points at 33-30 at the end of the third.

In the fourth quarter, Bedok Green eventually caught up with the exhausted Yuying team, taking the lead at 36-35 with 8:00 on the clock. The two teams then made the score 40-37 in Bedok Green’s favour. After that, there was no scoring for the next three and a half minutes as tired bodies took their toll and both teams missed all their scoring opportunities.

Chua Wei Kiaw of Yuying goes on a layup while Shirly of Bedok Green (in white) defends. © Leslie Tan/Red Sports

Then Yuying’s Chua Wei Kiaw (#5) raised the cheers from her bench when she finally scored a basket to make it 39-40. Her team now trailing by just one, Chia Pei Sze (#11) of Yuying then went to the line for two free throws but missed both. In the next scoring chance, Pei Sze again missed under the basket with 53 seconds left on the clock. With tension mounting, Noralinda of Bedok Green then had a chance to increase the one-point lead over Yuying when she went to the line after getting fouled. Noralinda was calm enough to sink one of her two free throws to make it 41-39 to finally put an end to Yuying’s resistance. Yuying’s lack of squad depth told in the end as Bedok Green outshot and outrebounded them to capture the Tournament trophy.

Bedok Green:

#4 Jane
#5 Shirly
#6 Jocelyn
#7 Steffi
#8 Ivy
#9 Noralinda
#10 Li Juan
#11 Li Jing
#12 Li Ping
#13 Jiayi
#14 Cecilia (capt)
#15 Noor Jihadah

Yuying:

#4 Chee Xiu Zhen
#5 Chua Wei Kiaw
#6 Lai Sok Kuan
#7 Tang Choy Ting (team manager)
#8 Soh Ellis
#9 Tan Li Ying
#10 Joyce Teoh
#11 Chia Pei Sze
#12 Tan Ee Ni (Captain)

Match statistics:

1st quarter: Bedok Green 4-11 Yuying
2nd: 12-12
3rd: 14-10
4th: 11-6

Bedok Green scorers:

#6 Jocelyn (2 pts)
#9 Noralinda (13 pts)
#13 Jiayi (2 pts)
#14 Cecilia (7 pts)
#15 Noor Jihadah (11 pts)

Yuying scorers:

#5 Chua Wei Kiaw (12 pts)
#7 Tang Choy Ting (6 pts)
#11 Chia Pei Sze (6 pts)
#12 Tan Ee Ni (15 pts – one 3-pointer)

Bedok Green free throw shooting:

#9 Noralinda – shot 1 out of 2 free throws
#12 Li Ping – 0 out of 4
#14 Cecilia – 3 out of 6
#15 Noor Jihadah – 1 out of 4
Team shooting: 4 out of16

Yuying free throw shooting:

#5 Chua Wei Kiaw – 0 out of 2
#11 Chia Pei Sze – 0 out of 2
#12 Tan Ee Ni 0 out of 3
Team shooting: 0 out of 7

Bedok Green rebounds: Offensive rebounds – 15; defensive rebounds – 21. Total – 36

Yuying rebounds: Offensive rebounds – 13; defensive rebounds – 19. Total – 32

More pictures in the gallery.