North Zone B Div Bball: North Vista beat Presbyterian High to win second zone title in three years

By REDintern Joseph Lee

Singapore Basketball Centre, Tuesday, March 6, 2012 — North Vista Secondary won their second North Zone B Division Basketball Championship title in three years when they defeated Presbyterian High 58-44. This was a reverse of last year’s final which Presbyterian High had won 67-53.

Presbyterian High entered the game with a 10-0 win-loss record and looked to have an edge over North Vista, who had nine wins and a sole defeat in the second round. With little separating them, the match promised to be a close affair between the two North Zone powerhouses.

The game started with North Vista winning the tip-off and opening the scoring with an easy put-in under the basket by their #10, but Presbyterian High came back with a basket of their own from mid-range. Both teams traded leads early several times, but midway through the quarter, North Vista went on a 5-0 run to lead 11-6.

Presbyterian High responded with a 6-0 run of their own to go ahead briefly before North Vista scored seven unanswered points, including a quarter-ending buzzer-beater, to lead 18-12 after one period.

Presbyterian High started the second quarter determined to overcome the early six-point deficit, and after both teams traded baskets, the defending champions went on a 10-0 run to draw level with North Vista. The confidence of the Presbyterian High team grew as their full-court press worked perfectly in stopping North Vista from getting past the halfway line.

They also had the benefit of a huge crowd support. Presbyterian led 24-22 with their supporters in full voice, but the North Vista end exploded when their team drew level with a mid-range jumper.

Presbyterian High called a timeout with just a minute left in the half, and returned with a man-to-man full-court press on North Vista that proved to be effective. Presbyterian High forced a North Vista turnover before the halfway line which resulted in an open lay up to end the half.

Presbyterian High entered the half-time break leading North Vista 26-24, having outscored their opponents 14-6 in the second quarter.

Both teams came out cold in the second half, which remained scoreless for four minutes until North Vista’s point guard Kwan Jian (#6) broke the deadlock with a three-pointer to put them back in front 27-26.

North Vista went on a 6-2 run before Presbyterian High started to pick things back up again with a three-pointer to make it 31-33. After Jang Wook’s long two leveled the scores at 33 apiece, Presbyterian High made two easy transition baskets to take a 37-33 lead.

A North Vista basket made it 37-35 with the scorer to go to the free-throw line after also earning a foul-call. But with the free throw failing to sink, North Vista’s #10 got the offensive rebound and scored to tie the game at 37 apiece.

Presbyterian High closed the third quarter when they made one of two from the free throw line to take a slender 38-37 lead over North Vista into the final quarter.

Both teams exchanged leads eight times and were tied on seven occasions in the game, but the fourth quarter was when North Vista gained a foothold in the match. They opened the scoring in the final quarter and a 15-0 run gave them a 52-38 lead, which stopped Presbyterian High firmly in their tracks.

A three-pointer from North Vista’s captain Myron Lim made it more difficult for Presbyterian High to overhaul a huge deficit and with time winding down on the game clock.

They attempted to salvage the situation by taking three-pointers but made little headway, eventually losing 58-44. North Vista’s pivotal scoring run in the final quarter was key to them taking home the North Zone championship title, according to their coach Ong Yao Kwang.

“The last quarter was the most crucial period for us as it decided who would win the championship. We planned to push all the way and for the boys to play according to the plan. It worked in our favour as we outscored Presbyterian 21-6 in the final quarter,” said Coach Ong.

“I am very proud of them as they kept on believing in themselves, and the hard work put in during the six-hour weekly training sessions all paid off today,” he added.

When asked what was next for the team after bagging the zonal championship, Coach Ong said: “Our goal this year was to be the zone champions and we have achieved that. The next goal will be to get to the top four of the national round.”

Quarter by Quarter Scores
North Vista vs Presbyterian High
1st Q: 18-12
2nd Q: 6-14 (24-26)
3rd Q: 13-12 (37-38)
4th Q: 21-6 (58-44)

North Vista Lineup
Kwan Jian (#6), Myron Lim (#7)

Please do share with us the name and jersey numbers of the remaining players in the comments section. Thanks.

Presbyterian High Lineup
Hai Yang (#4), Jang Wook (#5), Zhi Chao (#7), Jonas Tay (#8), Benedict Leong (#9)

Please do share with us the name and jersey numbers of the remaining players in the comments section. Thanks.