By REDintern Gan Yu Neng
Shawn Ee (#7) of Bukit Panjang Govt High shoots over the defense of Teck Whye’s Tze Sheng (#14). Shawn finished with a game-high 25 points while Tze Sheng had 4. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Clementi Sports Hall, Friday, July 20, 2012 — In a game that was close all the way up to the final quarter, Bukit Panjang Government High outlasted Teck Whye Secondary and closed out the game in the final quarter, eventually winning 58-46.
With this result, Bukit Panjang finished at the top of its group and will move on to the semi-finals with a 4-1 win-loss record in Round 2 of the West Zone C Division Basketball Championship. Teck Whye Secondary finished Round 2 with a 1-4 win-loss record, after winning every game in Round 1.
The game started slow for Bukit Panjang, who seemed for the first two quarters in real danger of being eliminated by Teck Whye. Teck Whye’s Maize (#10) started the game off with two points in the first 15 seconds, and his teammate Calvert (#9) quickly added another two with a mid-range shot over the heads of Bukit Panjang’s defense.
In contrast, the first quarter was fraught with misses for Bukit Panjang. Shaun Ee (#7), Edmund Leong (#8) and Ang Zi Yang (#9) were all able to advance the ball past Teck Whye’s defense, yet seemed unable to convert their opportunities once at the basket.
Teck Whye made many defensive fouls, putting themselves into a penalty situation right in the first quarter. Yet, with Bukit Panjang showing terrible free throw accuracy, this did not seem to matter. Out of 13 free throws in the first quarter, Bukit Panjang only managed to gain one point.
In the second and third quarters, both teams were neck-and-neck — Bukit Panjang with the semi-final at stake, Teck Whye with only pride on the line. The score went from 26-25 at half-time to 26-27, to 28-27, to 30-29, with neither team willing to relinquish the lead.
Shaun (#7) from Bukit Panjang was particularly notable in keeping his team ahead, receiving passes from his teammates to take the ball up to the basket before Teck Whye’s defense could interfere. Shaun finished the game with a game-high 25 points.
Adam (#12) from Teck Whye was not far behind, personally putting in 23 points, or half his team’s total score. Adam’s agility allowed him to dodge rapidly through Bukit Panjang’s defense, despite being guarded heavily.
Adam also demonstrated a free-throw accuracy unrivalled by any of his opponents. Fouled four times over the course of the entire game, Adam attempted eight free throws and scored seven points off them. In contrast, the entire Bukit Panjang team only scored five points from free throws during the entire game.
At the close of the third quarter, however, Teck Whye began to flag while Bukit Panjang picked up the pace. Teck Whye began to find trouble advancing the ball, with Bukit Panjang guarding harder and going for intercepts.
Between the coordinated efforts of Shaun (#7) and Edmund (#8), Bukit Panjang began pulling away from Teck Whye.
This continued into the final quarter, where Bukit Panjang outscored Teck Whye 20-13, finishing the game with a margin of victory that belied how close the match could have been.
Teck Whye’s team captain, Nick (#6), confessed that his team could have tried harder.
“We need to improve,” he said, “Our performance today is better than the New Town match, but we still can improve. We had the chance to beat Bukit Panjang until the start of the last quarter.”
Teck Whye lost to New Town on Wednesday by a margin of 20 points, their biggest loss this season.
Asked what he felt went wrong, he replied: “All of us were out of breath. Not enough stamina.”
Nick will be joining Teck Whye’s B Division squad next year. The diminutive captain said: “My target for next year is the semi-finals. Both for myself and for C, for the juniors.”
Bukit Panjang Government High will go on to face Jurong Secondary in the semi-final on Monday, July 23rd, at Clementi Sports Hall.
Score by Quarter
Bukit Panjang vs Teck Whye
1st Q: 15-17
2nd Q: 11-8 (26-25)
3rd Q: 12-8 (38-33)
4th Q: 20-13
Final: 58-46
Top Scorers
Bukit Panjang
Shawn Ee (#7) — 25 points
Edmund Leong (#8) — 13 points
Ang Zi Yang (#9) — 10 points
Dini Matin (#4) — 6 points
Tan Jia You (#10) — 4 points
Teck Whye
Adam (#12) — 23 points
Maize (#10) — 11 points
Calvert (#9) — 6 points
Tzesheng (#14) — 4 points
Edmund (#11) — 2 points
Bukit Panjang Roster
Dini Matin (#4), Yeo Fu Xiang (#5), Low Jun Qian (#6), Shawn Ee (#7), Edmund Leong (#8), Ang Zi Yang (#9), Tan Jia You (#10), Tee Zhi Zhang (#11), Yong Jun Wei (#12), Kelvin Cho (#13), Lim Xin Wei (#14)
Teck Whye Roster
Shaowei (#4), Dharshen (#5), Nick (#6), Daryl (#7), Geraint (#8), Calvert (#9), Maize (#10), Edmund (#11), Adam (#12), Mark (#13), Tzesheng (#14), Brendan (#15)
West Zone C Division Basketball Championship – full fixtures and results
More photos in gallery next page
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