Story by REDintern Stefanus Ian. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

A Division girls 2nd round

The VJC #5 goes for a layup against HCI. (Photo 1 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Basketball Association of Singapore, Monday, May 16, 2011 — Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) defeated Victoria Junior College (VJC) 58-30 in convincing fashion in the National A Division Girls’ Basketball Championship.

HCI were always the favourites going into this game. HCI got off to an early lead in the first quarter, leading by as many as 10 points at the end of the first 10 minutes.

VJC rallied in the second and third quarter with HCI only outscoring them by three points in these two quarters but any slim hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed as HCI shut VJC out in the last quarter, allowing only four points in the last 10 minutes.

At the start of the game, both sets of players were not shying away from physical challenges. It was clear that it was going to be a very physical game and that the VJC girls, clad in white, were going to throw everything at their opponents to win the match. Unfortunately, it was still not enough to stop HCI from racing to a 15-5 lead by the end of the first quarter.

The girls in white only got started in the second quarter, with HCI outscoring them by a slim one-point, 12-11 margin. The third quarter was much tighter with VJC stepping up their game. At one point they actually looked like they were back in the game, reducing the gap to just a mere five points from the previous double-digit deficit.

With just over six minutes left to play in the third, the scoreboard showed 27-22 to HCI. However, it was not to be. Soon after, Sharlene Huang (HCI #12) blocked a three-pointer before collecting the loose ball and scoring off the turnover with an easy layup. From then on, it was almost all downhill for the VJC girls.

It was clear that Sharlene Huang (HCI #12) was the key player for her team as she was the go-to player for most of their offense. With her presence demanding the attention of more than one player on the inside, she distributed the ball out to her free teammates to score with open looks. Sharlene Huang (HCI #12) also contributed on the scoring front, notching a game-high nine points. However, to call HCI a a one-woman team would be harsh as she had ample support from her teammates.

Having gone toe-to-toe with the defending champions for half the game, VJC’s resistance finally crumbled in the fourth quarter where they could only muster four points.

As for HCI, they also showed their bench strength, with their #9 coming on at one point to score six points consecutively. Overall, it was a decisive and strong performance by the girls in red and their school now look set to complete another double this year given the dominant display of their boys’ team as well.

In another game played on the same day, Anderson Junior College edged out Nanyang Junior College 49-46.

AJC will now play Raffles Institution in one semi-final while HCI will again take on VJC in the other semi-final. Both semi-final games will take place on Wednesday, May 18th, at Singapore Basketball Centre. Tip off is at 1pm.

National A Division Girls’ Basketball Championship — full fixtures and results

Match Statistics
HCI 58 VJC 30
1st Q: 15-5
2nd Q: 12-9 (27-14)
3rd Q: 12-12 (39-26)
4th Q: 58-30

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