By Gan Yu Neng/Red Sports

C division North zone basketball final (5)

Nan Chiau’s May Lim (#14) attempting to plunge through Deyi’s defense. (Photo 1 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

 

Singapore Basketball Centre, Friday, July 26, 2012 — After a furious game that saw a series of dramatic turnovers in the last two quarters, Deyi Secondary eventually beat Nan Chiau High by a mere two points to take the girls’ title 51-49 in the North Zone C Division Basketball Championship.

This final was the first time Deyi and Nan Chiau have encountered each other this season. Prior to today’s game, both teams had gone through the previous rounds undefeated, with seven wins apiece.

Although Deyi started out well and led 22-17 at half time, Nan Chiau caught up and turned the game around in the third quarter to lead by six points at 37-31 going into the fourth.

In the final quarter, however, Deyi outperformed Nan Chiau, closed the gap and even rebuilt their lead. Nan Chiau once again fought to catch up, and managed to get within a point of Deyi.

However, with 1.4 seconds left on the game clock, Deyi’s Lee Jia Tong (#8) made her final free throw to make it 51-49 and put the game out of Nan Chiau’s reach.

Nan Chiau started sluggishly against Deyi’s tight zone formation, more than once failing to make a shot before the 24-second shot clock expired. This, combined with inaccurate shooting and free-throw misses, gave Deyi the lead throughout the entire first half.

In the first half, both sides focused their defensive efforts on stopping their opponents’ shots and capturing defensive rebounds. Deyi’s aggressive defending caused the team to be in a penalty situation for most of the game.

At one point, Deyi’s Leona Ng (#5) literally pushed Nan Chiau’s Tan Xiuyi (#10) off the court as the latter tried to maneuver around her after a throw-in.

The turning point came in the third quarter, as Nan Chiau began to up their game, combining their own perimeter defense with elements of a full-court press, intercepting Deyi’s passes and sending the ball back to Deyi’s basket.

As Nan Chiau began to catch up, team captain Cherlyn Teo (#12) suddenly fell hard on the court after a collision with another player. The game clock was paused and for a moment, it was uncertain if Cherlyn would be able to continue with the game. Cherlyn did stand and go on to make her free throws.

When Cherlyn missed her second throw, Chloe Tan (#15), Nan Chiau’s tallest player, grabbed the rebound and made a jump shot for two, finally putting Nan Chiau ahead for the first time in the game. Almost immediately, Cherlyn showed she was still in the game by putting in another two points and widening the score gap. By the end of the third quarter, Nan Chiau were six points ahead.

Nan Chiau’s lead was short-lived, however, as Deyi’s offense began to put their all into fast breaks. Deyi finally pulled away in the last three minutes. Nan Chiau managed to climb to 50-49 with two crucial free throws in the last five seconds, but a free throw from a defensive foul in the last two seconds gave Deyi the last laugh.

Mabel Koh (#7) and Lee Jia Tong (#8) were the top scorers for Deyi, with 13 points each. Mabel was adept at intercepting passes and throw-ins and quickly executing fast breaks. Her speed in driving the ball down to Nan Chiau’s side of the court played a huge role throughout the entire game, by giving herself or her teammates ample opportunity to score before Nan Chiau’s defense could scramble into formation.

As the only player rivaling Nan Chiau’s Chloe in height, Privalatha (#15) from Deyi was able to block many of Nan Chiau’s shots and passes, making Deyi’s defensive formation that much more impenetrable.

Deyi’s Leona Ng (#5) was notable for her consistent attempts to solve the problem of Nan Chiau’s tight zone defense with three-pointers. Over the course of the game, she made five three-point attempts. Although all of them missed, it added an option to Deyi’s offense that Nan Chiau could not actively counter while focusing on their own perimeter.

From Nan Chiau, Tan Xiuyi (#10) and Cherlyn Teo (#12) were the biggest offensive threats. Cherlyn employed an amazingly swift change-of-pace dribble that she used to great effect against Deyi’s defense. However, during the first half, she missed many of her shots, with only two points to show on the scoresheet for her many attempts. She later made up for these errors in the second half to finish the game with 14 points.

Xiuyi was an integral part of Nan Chiau’s offense, and did not suffer from the early misses that troubled Cherlyn. She was able to catch her teammates’ passes from inside Deyi’s defense and score even while under pressure. She finished with a game-high 17 points for her team.

Deyi’s captain, Tan Nai Yan (#9), felt that the game went well.

“It was a very tough match. But we fought well, and didn’t give up. Though they were ahead in the fourth quarter, we still caught up to them,” she said.

“Nan Chiau was very strong. We couldn’t underestimate them, even though we never played them before. They put up a very tough challenge for my team,” added Nai Yan.

Asked about Deyi’s goals for the Nationals, Nai Yan replied: “Our target is Nationals Top Four.”

Yishun Town Secondary finished third in the zone after a 47-20 victory over Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary on Wednesday.

With the North Zone season complete, the four teams will now move on to the National C Division Basketball Championship to meet the top four schools from each of the other zones.

Score by Quarter
Deyi vs Nan Chiau
1st Q: 12-5
2nd Q: 10-12 (22-17)
3rd Q: 9-20 (31-37)
4th Q: 20-12
Final Score: 51-49

Top Scorers
Deyi
Mabel Koh (#7) — 13 points
Lee Jia Tong (#8) — 13 points
Tan Nai Yan (#9) — 10 points
Leona Ng (#5) — 8 points
Ng Jing Wen (#13) — 5 points
Soh Hui Xing (#4) — 2 points

Nan Chiau
Tan Xiuyi (#10) — 17 points
Cherlyn Teo (#12) — 14 points
May Lim (#14) — 9 points
Wivina Siah (#11) — 5 points
Lim Wen Sin (#13) — 2 points
Chloe Tan (#15) — 2 points

Deyi Roster
Soh Hui Xing (#4), Leona Ng (#5), Nicole Tan (#6), Mabel Koh (#7), Lee Jia Tong (#8), Tan Nai Yan (#9), Joleen Loo (#10), Elise Lim (#11), Joanne Lim (#12), Ng Jing Wen (#13), Felicia Lim (#14), Privalatha d/o Shanmugam (#15)

Nan Chiau Roster
Siti Nurhashimah (#4), Ng Xueying (#5), Lim Hui Min (#6), Aw Xin Yi (#7), Ooi Hui Ying (#8), Cheryl Chang (#9), Tan Xiuyi (#10), Wivina Siah (#11), Cherlyn Teo (#12), Lim Wen Sin (#13), May Lim (#14), Chloe Tan (#15)

North Zone C Division Basketball Championship — full fixtures and results

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