Youth Olympic Basketball: Russel Low scores 19 points as Singapore sweep India to finish 17th

Story by Koh Yizhe/Red Sports. Photos by Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports

*scape Youth Park, Monday, August 23, 2010 — Russel Low scored a massive 19 points as the Singapore basketball boys team ended their Youth Olympic Games campaign on a high when they swept India aside 31-20 to finish in 17th place out of 20 teams.

Singapore were unable to secure a win in their first four games, resulting in a last place finish in the group stage. However, with the pressure off, the home team comfortably defeated South Africa, Panama and India to dominate the 17th to 20th classification phase.

Larry Liew started the game brilliantly for Singapore. He nailed a long two to give Singapore the lead, and then made a steal on the next possession and fed Russel who was fouled. The latter then put Singapore 3-0 ahead within a frantic first 17 seconds of the game.

Singapore had previously beaten India at last year’s Asian Youth Games, and this time, they always looked like they were going to repeat the feat. They went on a 9-0 run to establish a double-digit lead with Larry and Tan Jun Wei combining for the points.

Captain Jabez Su started on the bench, and with one minute left in the first half, he offered a fresh pair of legs to the team. The Hwa Chong Institution student made an immediate contribution, making a steal and right at the end of the first half, fed his schoolmate Russel who made the jump shot for a 19-8 lead.

Although they conceded four straight points in the second half, Russel replied with a three-point play to maintain Singapore’s lead. Singapore took their foot off the pedal after the interval and at times, their defense looked messy. However, they were able to hang on to their lead and Russel sealed the victory with a three-point play at the end.

“We did a good job in the past three matches,” said Jun Wei after the match. “Our YOG target was to win as many matches as possible. In the last few games, the teams were as strong as us, but we did our best and we managed to beat them. We are happy with our performance.”

Despite his 19-point performance, Russel was modest about his game. When asked to rate his performance, he said, “Six or seven upon 10. I was a little tired during the second half so my defense was a bit messy. We came into this match just wanting to win our final game.”

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