Story and pictures contributed by reader Ian Chew
Singapore Basketball Centre, Wednesday, April 9, 2008 – Anglican High was dealt a severe blow to their qualifying hopes after suffering their second successive defeat in the girls national quarter-final round.
Despite jumping to a 21-14 lead by the end of the first half, they were surprised by a second half Unity renaissance. Anglican High’s #10 Botin had led her team with 14 points in the first half.
It was a different story in the second half as Unity shook off their earlier poor performance against Ahmad Ibrahim to outscore Anglican High 15-9 in the third quarter. They followed it up with an 18-8 scoring performance in the fourth quarter, resulting in an eventual 47-39 win. Nessa (#12) and Biru (#9) were both outstanding for Unity, scoring 14 points each.
In the other Group Y girls game, Raffles Girls’ cemented their place in the semi-finals with a gritty 45-43 win over Ahmad Ibrahim.
Although both teams clashed with the referees over several controversial calls, there was no disputing the fact that Raffles Girls’ team possessed stronger depth. They used that to full advantage in out-hustling the Ahmad Ibrahim team in a close match.
Ahmad Ibrahim’s #12 was outstanding for her team with an overall top score of 19 points and had a chance to tie the score in the final seconds. Her attempt however, fell short.
They now look forward to a crucial tie with Anglican High on Friday, April 11, at the Singapore Basketball Centre for their final group match. Raffles Girls’ face Unity in the other group match.
Notes: Girls’ Group Y is turning out to be the highly competitive group it was touted to be, with all four teams still having a shot at the semi-finals… All four teams were the champions of their respective zones…
ahs no 10 is botin