Innova JC book place in the A Division boys’ basketball final after late comeback against Victoria JC

Story by REDIntern Alan Chiang, Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

Singapore Basketball Centre, Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - Innova Junior College came from behind to grab a thrilling 48-47 victory against Victoria Junior College in the semi-finals of the A Division Boys’ Basketball.

The victory was marred by some controversial refereeing in the dying seconds of the match as the chief referee signaled the win to Innova JC, when Victoria JC thought they had been awarded with free throws after some anxious defending from the Innova players.

Innova JC came into the match-up with a 100 per cent record in the quarter-final round while Victoria JC had two wins out of three. However, Innova JC did not start the game as brightly as they fared during the quarter-final stages.

Both teams were restricted to single-digit scoring in a tense first quarter. It took at least two minutes for the first point to be chalked up on the scoreboard.

Walla Fyn (IJC #14) had that privilege by converting one of his two free throws. Victoria JC also had to endure a nervous start as they failed to capitalize on their huge possession after committing numerous turnovers.

With 6:20 left, the Victoria JC coach furiously called for a time-out as the score still stood at 1-0 to Innova JC. From there, it did not take too long before more points were added. Macus Yap (VJC #4) managed to steal the ball from Dickson Chu (IJC #8) and drive to the basket for his team’s first two points. He then contributed another two after rounding Innova JC's defense for an easy under-basket shot.

Innova JC were fired up after a time-out with 3:03 remaining in the quarter. Ong Wen Yong (IJC #11) finally made his mark after several attempts in the paint, after a good assist handed out by Dickson (IJC #8). The latter combined with Fyn (IJC #14) again and added two points to lead at 5-4. Nevertheless, Victoria JC managed to regain the lead at the end of the first quarter after Julian Low (VJC #15) made the final shot in the paint.

It was point-for-point in the second quarter as more shots were made. Victoria JC had early chances to extend their lead but Innova JC players were equal to the task. However, free throw woes continued to haunt both teams throughout the entire second quarter.

With 7:09 left, Fyn (IJC #14) picked up his third foul while he was trying to clear the ball outside the paint. He had to sit out the remainder of the second quarter. Without his presence in the paint, Victoria JC took full advantage and broke into an 8-point lead after a 6-0 run, courtesy of Macus (VJC #4) and Gary Tang (VJC #11). As the second quarter progressed to its final minutes, Innova JC took control of the game with their star performer Dickson (IJC #8) leading the way. His 12-point contribution in the second quarter was instrumental in reducing his team’s deficit to 18-20 by half-time.

Both teams got off to a slow start after the break but it was Victoria JC who showed more hunger as Tey Shou Heng (VJC #8) drained the game's first 3-pointer to extend VJ’s lead to five points. With 7:13 remaining, things got worse for Fyn (IJC #14) when he collected his fourth foul. He had fouled Macus (VJC #4) at the baseline and had to sit out as a result. Victoria JC capitalized on that situation and managed to increase the lead to seven points.

Chua Mei Hui, Innova JC’s female coach had seen enough by now and called for a time-out with 6:05 left. It proved to be a useful one as Dickson (IJC #8) responded with a 9-point contribution for the rest of the third quarter to tie the game at 29-29.

The situation got unpleasant for Victoria JC as their key player Macus (VJC #4) appeared to twist his ankle while landing awkwardly. Somehow though, his team still managed to grab a 2-point lead at the end of the third quarter at 33-31.

They then got on a wrong foot for the final quarter as their opponents began their late surge. A 5-0 run allowed Innova JC to take over the lead by three points at 36-33. It got better for Innova JC as they maintained the lead and even extended it to as many as six points.

Victoria JC's never-say-die attitude was then demonstrated on court as Julian (VJC #15) broke free with five successive points to cut Innova JC's lead to one point. As they fought hard, two of their players over-exerted themselves, resulting in a gush of blood from the nose for Gary Tang (#11) and another ankle sprain for Macus (#4).

With 34 seconds left, Victoria JC had a 4-0 run through Julian (#15) and managed to overturn the tide as they took an all-important 1-point lead at 47-46. With 15 seconds remaining, Innova JC had a chance to chart out their final attacking play as the coach called for a crucial time-out.

Knowing Dickson's (IJC #8) ability on the court, Victoria JC had to defend stoutly against him in the last 15 seconds. However, nerves got the better of them as Julian fouled him rather unnecessarily. It was their fifth team foul, resulting in an automatic trip to the free-throw line for him. Fortunately for Innova, Dickson (IJC #8) was able to convert the two shots and the lead changed once again. Joel Yoon (IJC #7) also had an opportunity to increase Innova JC's lead but he missed both free throws with six seconds to play.

Victoria JC had one final chance to attack the basket but some controversial refereeing in the middle of the court created some confusion as the buzzer sounded. The Victoria JC players and coach thought that Julian (VJC #15) was fouled while he was dribbling. Instead, the chief referee awarded the win to Innova JC as he overruled that call.

With that narrow win, Innova JC proceeded to the final against powerhouse Hwa Chong Institution while Victoria JC and Raffles Institution JC will wrestle with each other for the third placing.

"I think we have done better defensively today as VJC was attacking us throughout," Dickson (IJC #8) said. "I was told (by my coach) to attack the basket aggressively and also to force VJC to foul troubles."

When commented on Innova JC's odds to land their first championship title, IJC coach Ms Chua Mei Hui said after the game, "I think chances are better this (second) time with better players around. We were in 2nd place in 2007."

The next hurdle for Innova JC is the defending champions Hwa Chong Institution. She added, "Hwa Chong is in the league of their own. Our team is really inexperienced considering some of the players have not been playing basketball for long."

But she remained optimistic.

"I guess it will be down to hard work and hard training in order to overcome Hwa Chong. The first win (against them in the quarter-finals) was a great morale booster for the players."

Statistics:
Starting line-up
IJC:
Joel Yoon (#7), Dickson Chu (#8), Thong Jing Wei (#10), Ong Wen Yong (#11), Walla Fyn (#14)
VJC:
Macus Yap (#4), Poh Wei Lun (#5), Chua Wee Liang (#7),Tey Show Heng (#8), Julian Low (#15)

Scores by quarter
1st Q: IJC 5 - VJC 6
2nd Q: IJC 13 - VJC 14
3rd Q: IJC 13 - VJC 11
4th Q: IJC 17 - VJC 14

Top scorer
IJC:
Dickson Chu (#8) - 31 points

VJC:
Julian Low (#15) - 17 points
Macus Yap (#4) - 14 points

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP11Rf_GyXE