Story by reader Kelwin Koh

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Unity (in yellow) in action against Jurong during the C Division West Zone Championship final. (Photo © Kelwin Koh)

Jurong East Sports Hall, Wednesday, July 23, 2008 – The Unity Secondary boys beat Jurong Secondary 67-50 to complete a sweep of both the boys’ and girls’ West Zone C Division Basketball Championships.

After their highly impressive semi-final victory over Bukit Panjang Government High, many spectators were expecting Unity to have an easy time against Jurong. However, the Jurong team and their coach had other ideas and the crowd was treated to an entertaining game of aggressive, fast-paced basketball.

Having just witnessed the Unity girls win the C Division title, the Unity boys were eager to add another championship trophy to the school's display case. Although both teams were unable to convert numerous attempts in the initial period, Unity managed to push into a 7-1 lead by the 4th minute of action after the opening tip-off. Using their starting roster, led by captain Remus (#9, USS), Unity capitalised on their height advantage against Jurong on the defensive end.

A couple of quick fouls by David (#7, USS) saw his playing time cut significantly but that did not seem to affect the team in any way as his substitute, Zachary (#13, USS), was able to keep up the outstanding defensive performance of the team as he, once again, cleaned the boards and blocked shots.

Jurong refused to retreat and led by their #8 and #10, stayed within striking distance with their persistent lane penetration. Subsequent fouls by the USS team saw them in the penalty with five minutes to play in the first quarter. The experienced Jurong team saw the opportunity and took advantage of their numerous free throw attempts to reduce the gap to 14-18. The second quarter saw the return of a frenetic Unity man-to-man defense, which allowed them to effectively put a halt to the Jurong scoring run.

Jurong’s #4 and #5 played exceptionally well, displaying the traditional spirit of Jurong players with their aggressive, never-give-up attitude in the face of Unity defenders who were often 10cm taller. Fearless in the face of the Unity man-to-man defense, they managed to break down the full-court press several times but were foiled in the end by the superb interior defense of the Unity paint players.

Just prior to the end of the 2nd quarter, captain Remus (#9, USS) was taken off as he suffered an inadvertent blow to his head. He was badly shaken and was seen receiving medical attention by the attentive Unity teachers-in-charge. At halftime, the score stood at 30-15.

The third quarter saw more of the same, with Jurong countering Unity height with slick passing and accurate shooting. Keng Yang (#8, USS) then went down with a sprained ankle and had to be helped off the court. The loss of two players saw the Unity boys flounder for a time and Jurong took the chance to close the gap to single digits behind the strong play of their #8, #9 and #10.

In a gutsy move, ¨nity captain #9 Remus shrugged off his earlier injury and returned to the court to calm his troops, making a three-pointer and providing much needed direction for the Unity team to push the lead back into double digits, ending the quarter with a narrow 46-35 lead.

Smelling an upset in the making, Jurong came out firing on all cylinders and their #8 made a quick three-pointer at the start of the fourth quarter. Unity captain Remus refused to give in and answered immediately with a three-pointer of his own. The Unity players continued to battle the Jurong onslaught and managed to return to a 15-point lead.

In what must have been the most spectacular sequence in the game, David (#7, USS), leapt up and snatched a shot by Jurong and went coast to coast for a layup but blew it. This perhaps summed up the day that Unity were having where they were unable to capitalise on their superior height advantage and strength in numbers against a smaller Jurong that had only eight to nine players in the regular rotation. It remains to be seen how much improvement the USS boys can make before meeting the other top teams in the upcoming National Championship.

The 67-50 victory by the Unity boys marked the return of the C Division Boys West Zone Champions trophy into the arms of Unity after three years and the impressive play of the Secondary One players will give hope to their supporters that this might be the start of a Unity basketball revival.