By Gan Yu Neng/Red Sports
Tan Xiuyi (#10) of Nan Chiau High shoots for two over the defense of Teo Lim Hui (#6) of Ngee Ann. Xiuyi finished with a game-high 16 points. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Clementi Sports Hall, Tuesday, July 31, 2012 — Nan Chiau High came from behind to beat Ngee Ann Secondary 42-38 in their first Round 1 match of the National C Division Basketball Championship.
Nan Chiau is the second-ranked team in the North Zone, while Ngee Ann finished third in the East Zone.
Ngee Ann maintained a five-point lead over Nan Chiau for most of the first half, creating the very real possibility of an upset. Even when Nan Chiau scored four points in the final minute of the second quarter to end it trailing by one point at 19-20, Ngee Ann quickly returned with another four points at the start of the third quarter to once again reestablish a five-point lead.
The third quarter was the turning point for Nan Chiau, who finally caught up 24-24 with 4:30 left on the clock. Both teams proceeded to tussle for the lead, going from 24-27 to 28-27, ending the quarter with Nan Chiau just barely ahead at 30-29.
In the final quarter, Nan Chiau scored 10 straight points without any response from Ngee Ann, finally building up a respectable lead. In the final minute, however, Ngee Ann began to fight back with Png Yi Ling (#9) putting in a clutch three-pointer followed immediately by a lay-up in the last 30 seconds for her team to trail by an extremely close 38-40.
At this point, Nan Chiau’s Cherlyn Teo (#12) made two free throws to extend her team’s lead to a more comfortable four points. The game ended with Ngee Ann’s Yi Ling (#9) driving the ball past Nan Chiau’s defense but repeatedly missing her last shots.
Yi Ling was Ngee Ann’s highest scorer, finishing with 15 points. She made extremely fast drives after turnovers to get to Nan Chiau’s basket before their defense could. She also kept a very harsh guard on Nan Chiau, chasing down their fast breaks and putting pressure on their shots.
Siti Azmina (#14) of Ngee Ann also made a significant contribution by being able to capture offensive rebounds, as well as making steals when Nan Chiau tried to pass the defensive rebounds they managed to catch out to their teammates. Siti put in eight points for Ngee Ann, at least four of which were from rebounds.
Nan Chiau’s Tan Xiuyi (#10) finished with a game-high score of 16 points, 10 of which came in the second half. In Nan Chiau’s 10-point scoring streak in the final quarter, Xiuyi played a large role, personally scoring six points and contributing to the defense by intercepting Ngee Ann’s passes.
Her teammate, Chloe Tan (#15), also did well, scoring 14 points, including the two points that gave Nan Chiau their first lead in the third quarter when she made her jump shot from between two Ngee Ann players.
Asked about how the match went, Nan Chiau’s captain, Cherlyn Teo (#12), responded with optimism.
“I think everyone really tried their best to get the ball. We just, I think, percentage-wise; need to ba wo (maintain composure while shooting),” she said.
“Ngee Ann’s defense was really strong. They really made us run for the ball,” she said about her opponents.
When asked about Nan Chiau’s targets for the Nationals, Cherlyn replied emphatically: “We have to get into the Top Four again! Our team — it’s not that we’re not very good — but we can improve … We can be quite strong.”
Ngee Ann Secondary will next play Singapore Chinese Girls’ School on Thursday, August 2nd. Ngee Ann must upset the South Zone champions if they hope to progress to the next round.
Nan Chiau High will face off against Assumption English School, also on the same day. A win here will all but confirm Nan Chiau’s progress into Round 2 of the Nationals.
Both matches will take place at Clementi Sports Hall.
Score by Quarter
Nan Chiau vs Ngee Ann
1st Q: 7-12
2nd Q: 12-8 (19-20)
3rd Q: 11-9 (30-29)
4th Q: 12-9
Final Score: 42-38
Top Scorers
Nan Chiau
Tan Xiuyi (#10) — 16 points
Chloe Tan (#15) — 14 points
Cherlyn Teo (#12) — 11 points
May Lim (#14) — 1 point
Ngee Ann
Png Yi Ling (#9) — 15 points
Siti Nur Azmina (#14) — 8 points
Har Hui Yin (#8) — 6 points
Amalia bte Umran (#11) — 4 points
Nuryn Aqidah bte Mohammad Adib (#7) — 3 points
Nurizzati bte Mohamed Shah (#10) — 2 points
Nan Chiau Roster
Siti Nurhashimah (#4), Ng Xueying (#5), Lim Hui Min (#6), Aw Xin Yi (#7), Ooi Hui Ying (#8), Cheryl Chang (#9), Tan Xiuyi (#10), Wivina Siah (#11), Cherlyn Teo (#12), Lim Wen Sin (#13), May Lim (#14), Chloe Tan (#15)
Ngee Ann Roster
Isabel Tan (#4), Andrea Mae Contreras (#5), Teo Lim Hui (#6), Nuryn Aqidah bte Mohammad Adib (#7), Har Hui Yin (#8), Png Yi Ling (#9), Nurizzati bte Mohamed Shah (#10), Amalia bte Umran (#11), Shanya Shyam Rambini (#12), Siti Nur Azri (#13), Siti Nur Azmina (#14), Pearly Chua (#15)
National C Division Basketball Championship — full fixtures and results
More photos in gallery next page
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