Presbyterian High thrash Catholic High in clash of zone champions

By Koh Yizhe/Red Sports

Jurong West Sports Hall, Wednesday, April 15, 2009 – In probably the most anticipated match of the National B Division Basketball Championship, North Zone champions Presbyterian High shocked South Zone champions Catholic High with a convincing 71-49 victory to top Group Y.

What everyone thought would be a close game between two champions turned out to be quite the opposite with Presbyterian High taking the game to defending national champions Catholic High in the first half and were astonishingly up by 21 points at half-time.

Despite boasting one of the best offences in the tournament with names like Wong Kam Seng and Jabez Su, they were limited to only two points in the second quarter and nine points in the first quarter.

Russel Low (Presbyterian High, #5) contributed in defense significantly as his side jumped to an early 5-0 lead to start the match. Catholic High were finding it hard to get settled with Presbyterian High not making easy for them with a solid defense. It took Jabez Su 4.55minutes to finally give Catholic High their first points with a three-pointer.

That, however, didn't stop the Presbyterian High onslaught as they continued to extend their lead, ending the first with a comfortable 17-7 lead.

The second quarter belonged to Presbyterian High. With Russel Low constantly double-teamed, the scoring responsibilities fell on the shoulders of Yao Ming and Bing Yao. Both responded brilliantly as they each downed 18 points throughout the match which added to the gap between Presbyterian High and Catholic High in the second quarter.

Russell, meanwhile, was doing his defensive work as his height advantage gave his team superior rebounding powers over their opponents. Catholic High were finding it hard to get past him, and it didn't help that Dominic Lim (Catholic High, #10) was in foul trouble.

The half-time whistle might have come as a relief to some Catholic High players as they left the court 9-30 down.

The third was a little better for the defending champions as they were able to string some points together, allowing them to out-score their opponents 16-14 in the third. That, however, was not enough to reduce the massive deficit.

Russell Low was also able make use of his height to score some points to maintain the Presbyterian High lead and his team walked off at the end of the third quarter leading 44-25.

The final quarter was much more open with both sides scoring over twenty points each but frustration was evident on the faces of Catholic High players as the game slowly slipped away from them.

With a final victorious score of 71-49, North Zone champions Presbyterian High made as a strong a statement as possible about their intention to dethrone Catholic High for the National B Division Championship crown.

Top Scorers
Russel Low (Presbyterian High, #5) – 20 points
Yao Ming (Presbyterian High, #8) – 18 points
Bing Yao (Presbyterian High, #6) – 18 points