By Rachel Yip/Red Sports
Tan Zhi En (#7) of Hillgrove lays up for two against the challenge of Tay Yin Seng (#15) of Nan Hua High. Zhi En finished with 11 points in the game. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Clementi Sports Hall, Friday, July 20, 2012 – Hillgrove Secondary defeated Nan Hua High 41-35 but just failed to enter the semi-finals of the West Zone C Division Basketball Championship.
At the end of Round 2, Hillgrove, Bukit Panjang Government High, and New Town Secondary were all tied at the top of Group X with identical 4-1 win-loss records. It came down to goal average to determine which two of three teams were moving on to the semi-finals. In the end, Hillgrove missed out on a place due to an inferior goal average compared to Bukit Panjang and New Town, who were placed first and second in the group respectively.
Nan Hua exited the competition after finishing fourth with a 2-3 record.
Hillgrove, having to win in order to keep their semi-final hopes alive, were backed up by many supporters on the day.
Hillgrove started the game strongly. They played a tight defence and Nan Hua found it difficult to shoot over the towering defence.
The pace of Nan Hua’s Au Jun Wei (#6) caused Hillgrove to commit many fouls, but he struggled to convert his free throws, allowing Hillgrove to take the first quarter 10-7.
Nan Hua fought back in the second quarter, outscoring Hillgrove 13-11 to leave Hillgrove with only a slender 21-20 lead at half time.
Nan Hua had many chances to overtake Hillgrove but they continued to struggle with their accuracy and could not sink baskets. Many times, the ball would hit all areas of the board and the rim but fail to enter the basket.
In the third quarter, Hillgrove led 29-22 at one point, but Nan Hua did not let up their chase and came back to trail by one point (28-29).
Hillgrove went into the last quarter 33-30 up.
It was a tough fight in the last quarter, with both teams yearning for the win. For the first four minutes, neither team could find the basket and the ball changed hands numerous times.
Nan Hua’s Cheah Yan (#4) fouled out and had to sit out most of the final quarter.
Hillgrove eventually won the last quarter 8-5 to give them a 41-35 win.
Hillgrove’s Javier Ang (#10) came away with a game-high 16 points. Au Jun Wei (#6) and Shawn Ng (#11) were joint top scorers for Nan Hua with 11 points each.
Despite missing out on a top-four spot, Hillgrove captain Gary Ng (#4) was happy with his team’s performance.
Score by Quarter
Hillgrove vs Nan Hua
1st Q: 10-7
2nd Q: 11-13 (21-20)
3rd Q: 12-10 (33-30)
4th Q: 8-5
Final score: 41-35
Top scorers
Hillgrove
Javier Ang Kun Teng (#10) – 16 points
Tan Zhi En (#7) – 11 points
Tay Ban Lee (#6) – 8 points
Gary Ng Jing Kai (#4) – 6 points
Nan Hua
Au Jun Wei (#6) – 11 points
Shawn Ng (#11) – 11 points
Ashwin Ravi (#10) – 4 points
Derek Chang (#12) – 4 points
Hillgrove Roster
Gary Ng Jing Kai (#4), Lim Junjie (#5), Tay Ban Lee (#6), Tan Zhi En (#7), Lim Chang Hui (#8), Tan Zhi Kai (#9), Javier Ang Kun Teng (#10), Lee Guan Rong (#11), Stanley Soh Koon Siang (#12), Jared Ng Wen Sheng (#14), Kelvin Oh (#15)
Nan Hua Roster
Cheah Yan (#4), Liang Ding Xun (#5), Au Jun Wei (#6), Khoo Chee Hau (#7), Lee Hong Yang (#8), Tneoh Yuan Ping (#9), Ashwin Ravi (#10), Shawn Ng (#11), Derek Chang (#12), Dillon (#13), Peerathach (#14), Tay Yin Seng (#15)
West Zone C Division Basketball Championship — full fixtures and results
More photos in gallery next page
Leave A Comment