“Very shocked!” said Janice, when asked about her Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. “I expected Diane (Seow) to get it because she played well.”

On their scary 0-8 first-quarter start, Janice said: “Everyone was very calm and slowly fought back until we caught up with the (Jurong West) score.”

“Their accuracy was so much better than us,” said Diane. “So to prevent them from shooting any 3-pointers as well as their centres, we have to block them out. They are tall.”

“Really doesn’t matter,” said a modest Diane, when asked to comment about her game-high, 19-point performance. “Only the game itself matters. The teamwork, the defense and all the rebounds that we get, and cherishing all the chances to shoot.”

Despite the disappointment of losing the final, Jurong West captain Chen Jingyi was proud of her team.

“We never gave up. We chased after every ball,” said Jingyi.

When asked about what went wrong in the game for them, her teammate Bella Tan chipped in: “The atmosphere, the environment, made us nervous.”

Unity, Jurong West, Nanyang Girls’ High and Dunearn are the four West Zone schools heading into the upcoming national championship.

When asked who the strongest challengers they would likely face in the nationals, Janice said: “Dunman and Anglican High. They are both top two in the East Zone. And maybe SCGS too. I think if we play like how we did against Jurong West and don’t give up, the chance of beating them is quite high.”

Unity Lineup
Liow Hui Ting (#4), Shermaine Chua (#5), Suzawanah Bte Awalluden (#6), Jessie Foo (#7), Pamela Loh (#8), Janice Ong (#9), Diane Seow (#10), Noor Mazrianawhayu (#11), Pearlyn Chung (#12), Elsa Devi Handika (#13), Au Li Jun (#14), Nicolette Ong (#15)

Jurong West Lineup
Kristle Ann Geraldo Garcia (#4), Lee Qiu Hui (#5), Tee Yi Jia (#6), Melissa Lim (#7), Chan Xin Yi (#8), Bella Tan (#9), Yvonne Toh (#10), Lim Jia Qi (#11), Ng Su Rui (#12), Ng Su Wei (#13), Chen Jingyi (captain, #14), Joey Yeo (#15)

Match Statistics
Unity vs Jurong West
1st Q: 10-12
2nd Q: 10-9 (20-21)
3rd Q: 24-11 (44-32)
4th Q: 15-17
Final Score: 59-49

Top Scorers
Jurong West
Lee Qiu Hui (#5) – 15 pts (including 2 x 3-pointers)
Bella Tan (#9) – 7 pts

Unity
Diane Seow (#10) – 19 pts (1 x 3-pointer)
Janice Ong (#9) – 10 pts (2 x 3-pointers)
Au Li Jun (#14) – 6 pts

b division west zone basketball

Diane Seow (Unity #10) finds some space for herself. Diane finished with a game-high 19 points, including one 3-pointer. (Photo 2 © Les Tan/Red Sports)

b division west zone basketball

Lee Qiu Hui drives past Pamela Loh (Unity #8). Qiu Hui was the highest scorer for Jurong West, finishing with 15 points, including two 3-pointers. (Photo 3 © Les Tan/Red Sports)

b division west zone basketball

Chen Jingyi (Jurong West #14) finds her layup blocked by Liow Hui Ting (Unity #4). Jingyi had six points in the game. (Photo 4 © Les Tan/Red Sports)

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