Story contributed by HCunite

Singapore Basketball Centre, Wednesday, March 25, 2009 – Hwa Chong Institution beat National Junior College 50-32 in an A Division Basketball Championship Group A match.

It was an important match as both teams were in need of a victory to secure a berth in the next round of the competition. HCI jumped off the blocks with an aggressive start, taking a 12-2 lead before NJC called time to sort out their defense. NJC came back strong with their point guard #15 posing many problems for HCI.

The game was very close through the first half as HCI were lead by Ah Bao who powered home 20 points and six rebounds in the match. He was a constant thorn in the NJ side down low in the paint. Captain Chester Leow paced Ah Bao in scoring, finishing with 15 points in the game. By the end of the first half, the score remained tight and both teams still had a shot at victory.

As NJC rotated their players, HCI did the same as all 12 members of the HC team played a role in the win and enjoyed playing time. In the third quarter, HC started to pull away in scoring, and at one point took a 12-point lead, reflecting the HCI strength in depth. Rebounding was the key to the third quarter and HCI were able to hold on through the 4th and final quarter to seal the victory.

In the final quarter though, HCI had to deal with a niggling injury scare to co-captain Chiam Hong Yao’s back, which forced a late substitution.

Top scorers:
Ah Bao 20 points
Chester 15 Points

Top rebounders:
Subhas 8 rebounds
Ah Bao 6 rebounds
Chester 5 rebounds