By REDintern Tang Rei-En
Ramya D/O Ganesan (#11) under pressure from Helena Hanalisa (Tampines #9). (Photo 1 © Chong Ng/Red Sports)
Anglican High School, Tuesday, July 10, 2012 — In a close fight, Tanjong Katong Girls’ School beat Tampines Secondary 32-29 in the East Zone C Division Girls’ Basketball Championship. However, neither team qualified for the second round of the championship.
While Nikhol Shati Saran (Tampines #11) scored a game-high 17 points, Myra Sasha Mohd Puad (#7) of Tanjong Katong was her school’s top scorer with 12.
Both teams seemed to be warming up in the first quarter. The Tanjong Katong players were more able at catching their rebounds, but their inaccuracy meant that they did not utilise these scoring opportunities.
In the second quarter, Tanjong Katong outscored Tampines and managed to take the lead. Most notable was Myra (#7) who eluded the Tampines players time and time again to score six out of the eight points her team scored in that quarter. Throughout the entire game, she was always willing to take a risk and dive into the sea of defenders to make a shot. This, combined with her accuracy, allowed her to rack up the points.
Things started heating up in the third quarter. Tampines, after encountering difficulties with Tanjong Katong’s defenders in the second quarter, started making a series of long passes to get the ball to the other end of the court before the Tanjong Katong players could get back to defend. This allowed them to score a few points, with Tampines’ #11 leading the way.
Valerie Wee (Tampines #15) also had multiple opportunities to score. However, she was unable to make most of these shots when the Tanjong Katong defenders were around to pressurize her.
Khoo Wan Ting (Tampines #8) also played an instrumental role in her team. She brought the ball across the court to her team-mates, ahead of the Tanjong Katong players, such that they had a clear shot at making a basket. This allowed Tampines’ #11 to score a few baskets, under little pressure.
With Tanjong Katong leading by a slim 22-21 at the start of the fourth quarter, both teams made a frantic attempt at seizing the lead. Tanjong Katong played a heavier defense in this quarter. There was a lot of pressure on Tampines’ #11 and #15 as they shot, such that they flubbed a few chances at scoring.
For most of the fourth quarter, Tanjong Katong were able to maintain the lead by one or two points, matching Tampines basket for basket. Thus, they managed to emerge from the match as victors, with a close score of 32-29.
Team captain of Tanjong Katong, Nur Aqilah Iqromah Bte M N (#8), said that she was pleased by her team’s victory. She had sat out of the match, having been injured previously.
“I’m very happy with the teamwork. During the third quarter, the scores were very near and we were lagging by 1 point behind the other team, so the team gave up a bit. However, in the fourth quarter, our defense was tighter and we worked together and listened to the coach. We didn’t give up,” said Nur Aqilah.
Asked about what she thought they could improve on, Nur Aqilah replied: “We need a lot more confidence. And we need to believe in what we can do. We also need to play smarter and play according to the situation, instead of just blanking out during the game.”
East Zone C Division Basketball Championship — full fixtures and results
Score by Quarter
Tanjong Katong vs Tampines
1st Q: 4-8
2nd Q: 8-2 (12-10)
3rd Q: 10-11 (22-21)
4th Q: 10-8
Final Score: 32-29
Top Scorers
Tanjong Katong
Myra Sasha Mohd Puad (#7) – 12 points
Feru Cheong Kan Yi (#4) – 9 points
Sakinah Bte Omar Alkhatib (#9) – 5 points
Tampines
Nikhol Shati Saran (#11) – 17 points
Helena Hanalisa (#9) – 4 points
Farah Adibah (#10) – 4 points
Tanjong Katong Roster
Fern Cheong Kah Yi (#4), Kristin Widjojo (#5), Nur Dini Atiqah Bte Fitri (#6), Myra Sasha Mohd Puad (#7), Nur Aqilah Iqromah Bte M N (#8), Sakinah Bte Omar Alkhatib (#9), Ayushi Anand (#10), Ramya D/O Ganesan (#11), Gail Tan Ling Ern (#12), Yi En Chew (#13), Pooja Bhagwan (#14), Eva Natasha (#15)
Tampines Roster
Ang Yue Yin (#4), Nur Amirah Bte Noor Mohamad (#5), Cheng Cyn-Ee (#7), Khoo Wan Ting (#8), Helena Hanalisa (#9), Farah Adibah (#10), Nikhol Shakti Saran (#11), Lim Ching Lei (#12), Agnes Ong Yu Teng (#13), Nuryn Arniesha (#14), Valerie Wee Jing Wen (#15)
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