Jurong West claim maiden national B Division girls’ basketball title with win over Dunman

Jurong East Sports Hall, Tuesday, April 27, 2010 – Fresh from their close semi-final wins, the Dunman and Jurong West Secondary girls faced off against each other for the second time in the National B Division Basketball Championship. This time though, it was the championship they were fighting for and Jurong West claimed the title with a 48-38 win.

Jurong West were looking to reprise their earlier 20-point win over Dunman when Ng Su Rui (#7) sparked a first quarter 8-2 run for her team with an opening 3-pointer. Her sparkling form was to prove a decisive factor for her team throughout the game.

Defending champions Dunman were out to prove that their earlier loss was merely a blip in their record. Led by their point guard Lena Ong (#10), Dunman quickly fought back to tie the game at 8-8. It was that sort of a game.

However, the superior height advantage of the Jurong West team soon showed as they altered Dunman’s shot attempts and mopped up the subsequent defensive rebounds. Both Su Rui and her twin sister Ng Su Wei (#12) played a major role in Jurong West’s first quarter 15-10 lead.

Dunman did roar back in the second quarter with a sterling defensive effort and managed to close the deficit to 21-23 at the half. They also passed the ball well and exploited the Jurong West zonal defense by driving to the basket repeatedly for easy baskets.

It was Dunman’s turn to go cold in the third quarter though as they managed only five points. Jurong West took the opportunity to extend their lead to 34-26, led by Ng Xiao Fen (#10) who scored five points in that quarter alone.

Dunman looked set to rally in the fourth in a last ditch effort to close the gap, but Su Rui had other ideas. Receiving the ball some distance away from the 3-point line, she unexpectedly let fly and saw the ball swish through the net perfectly for a 37-26 lead.

A subsequent left-handed scoop lay up and two free throws by Su Rui meant that there was no way back for Dunman this time.

Jurong West’s teacher coach Joe So then fielded his bench players in the final minute, which paid off with Bella Tan (#6) scoring two free throws for a comfortable 48-38 victory.

“My players applied what was taught to them in training,” said coach Joe So after the game. “Today they really played like a team. It was a matter of which team settled down first and we managed to do that. From there, it was just working hard to maintain our lead.

“Dunman are a really strong and disciplined team and they were unlucky that some of their shots didn’t go in,” added a gracious coach So.

Ng Su Rui led her side with 15 points and was crowned Most Valuable Player (MVP).

“This award shouldn’t be mine,” said a very modest Su Rui. “I think Amanda (#14) deserves it. She has worked hard and she really goes for every ball. She deserves it more than I do. I guess during this match I was more on form but I just do whatever I can to help the team.”

A maiden outing into the national top four turned out to be a dream for Jurong West as they claimed their very first basketball national title!

Scoring by Quarters
Dunman v Jurong West
1st Q: 10-15
2nd Q: 11-8
3rd Q: 5-11
4th Q: 12-14

Scorers
Jurong West
Ng Su Rui #7 – 15 points
Lee Qiu Hui #5 – 8 points
Amanda Lee Wang Min #14 – 8 points
Ng Xiao Fen #10 – 5 points
Joanne Iris Aclan #13 – 5 points
Ng Su Wei #12 – 4 points
Bella Tan Jia Le #6 – 2 points

Dunman
Tay Qiu Ru #6 – 8 points
Cecilia Ng Shi Min #7 – 8 points
Rabiatul Adawiyah #11 – 7 points
Ong Siew Bee Lena #10 – 6 points
Nurrashikin #5 – 3 points
Jowilly Siew Mei Kit #8 – 2 points
Tan Yi Lin #14 – 2 points

3rd Quarter Highlights

4th Quarter Highlights (Part 1)

4th Quarter Highlights (Part 2)