By REDintern Stefanus Ian. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports
A River Valley High player (red) finds the space for a pass. (Photo 1 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
Basketball Association of Singapore Building, Monday, May 16, 2011 — Defending champions Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) outclassed River Valley High (RVH) 106-43 to book their berth in the final of the National A Division Boys’ Basketball Championship.
The perennial powerhouse look a shoo-in for the title and the manner of their victory will send shivers down the spine of even the most ardent supporter of Raffles Institution, their opponents in the final.
To engineer a blowout like this one, a team needs to perform well at both ends of the court to convert the opposition’s turnovers into easy baskets. This could not have described HCI performance any clearer.
HCI started out strongly, leading by double digits by the end of the first quarter and they never looked back as they led from start to finish. They gave an imperious performance to remind everyone why they are the favourites to retain their National crown.
In the first quarter, despite pressing from just mid-court, they managed to force turnovers and race to an early lead of twenty points. It was a defensive exhibition by the boys in white as they kept RVH to just four points in the opening 10 minutes. It took RVH more than half of the first quarter to record their first points on the board. HCI never let up and the first quarter ended ominously for RVH with the score board showing 24-4.
In the second quarter RVH, clad in red, demonstrated just why they were in the semi-finals. After trailing by 20 points, RVH scored 20 points in the second quarter, five times their first quarter efforts, in an attempt to mount some sort of resistance. Unfortunately it was far from enough as HCI still outscored them by nine points to end the half to lead 53-24.
After letting in so many points in the second quarter, HCI stepped up their defensive game. Open looks were at a premium and RVH struggled to replicate their second quarter effort. After a while, with the outcome of the game beyond doubt, HCI rested three of their starters. Despite the rotation, HCI still dominated and RVH could only mustered 10 points in the third.
Boasting several national players in their team, HCI ended the match on a rampage, chalking up 34 points in the fourth quarter alone. Perhaps fatigue played a major factor for RVH in the last 10 minutes.
The best play to sum up the whole performance came in the fourth quarter as HCI executed a flawless alley-oop in the last few minutes of the game. As if to add insult to the wound, HCI ended the match with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
While Raffles Institution were busy winning their own semi-final on the adjacent court, they will surely have no doubt about the huge task ahead of them.
Match Statistics
HCI 106 RVH 43
1st Q: 24-4
2nd Q: 29-20 (53-24)
3rd Q: 19-10 (72-34)
4th Q: 106-43
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