CCAB, Tuesday, January 31, 2012 — With his team trailing by one point and facing elimination from the South Zone B Division Basketball Championship, Peirce Secondary forward Rizq (#10) stepped up to the free throw line for two crucial attempts with a mere three seconds left on the clock.

Despite the pressure, he kept his composure and sank both free throws for a hard-fought 33-32 victory to send his team into delirium at the final buzzer. With the win, Peirce earned for themselves a place in the second round as the runnes-up of Group D.

“I was really nervous at that time,” admitted a much relieved Rizq after the match. He had earlier contributed three points for a total of five for the match.

Both Kuo Chuan Presbyterian and Peirce had entered the match with one defeat each in their group games and needed to win their final match to ensure qualification for the second round.

Kuo Chuan Presbyterian actually had the better start of both teams and led 6-3 after the first quarter. They increased their lead to 16-9 by the end of the first half, led by their forward #9 who scored 10 points. During this run, Kuo Chuan’s defence also succeeded in shutting out Peirce’s key forward Leong Wei Hao (#4), limiting him to just two points.

Peirce tried to rally in the third quarter, with Wei Hao taking on the entire Kuo Chuan’s defense to try to cut into the deficit. He did enjoy limited success though, accounting for all eight of his team’s points in that quarter alone, including a crucial 3-pointer. Kuo Chuan led 22-17 after the third quarter.

The fourth quarter saw Peirce go for broke with a full-court defensive pressure on Kuo Chuan’s players. The pressure was telling on both teams as both sets of players committed numerous turnovers, resulting in a see-saw scoreline.

Yet Kuo Chuan Presbyterian seemed to have done just enough to hold on to a lead they had not relinquished from the start of the game, when forward #9 scored on a fast break lay up to put his team 32-29 up with less than a minute to go. More crucially, Peirce also saw their top scorer Wei Hao fouled out in that play. Wei Hao had contributed a game-high 18 points by that time.

Peirce refused to give up though, and forced their way back into contention when their forward #8 converted both his free throws to reduce the deficit to 31-32 with 40 seconds left on the clock. Kuo Chuan’s coach immediately called for a time-out at this point.

Without a 24-second shot clock in play during the preliminary rounds, it seemed that Kuo Chuan would run the clock out for a slim win. Yet Peirce managed to win back possession of the ball with 35 seconds left and quickly called for a time-out themselves.

The final 30 seconds of the game saw Peirce trying desperately to score while Kuo Chuan’s taller players defended their basket stoutly. However, a crucial turnover by Kuo Chuan saw Rizq being fouled with three seconds left. He then became the hero of his team with his successful conversions.

In another group D match, Catholic High beat Mayflower Secondary 69-23 to seal first placing of their group and a spot in the second round of competition.

Ed’s Note: If you know the names of the players, please put it in the comments. Thanks.

South Zone B Division Basketball Championship Fixtures

RedSportsV: vote for your best 2012 B Division basketball players

Which are the top 2012 B Division basketball schools by zone?