By Rebecca Yip/Red Sports
Liwen (#14) of Nanyang Girls’ goes for a lay up against Pearlyn (#15) of Dunman. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Clementi Sports Hall, Thursday, August 2, 2012 — A last minute 3-point shot by captain Putri gave Dunman Secondary a 33-31 victory over Nanyang Girls’ High in the National C Division Basketball Championship.
Both Dunman and Nanyang Girls’ had already notched up victories over Raffles Girls’ School and Ahmad Ibrahim to qualify for the second round of the competition and this game was to determine who would top Group Q.
The game started off with fast and aggressive play by both sides. Both teams kept a tight defence and neither side could gain an early advantage, which resulted in a 0-0 score up to the fifth minute of the first quarter until Dunman’s Khaliesah (#4) put in a basket to get the scoring going. Dunman’s Putri (#5) added a 3-pointer soon after.
Dunman led all the way, but Nanyang was always on their tails. It was in the fourth quarter that Nanyang managed to level the score at 28-28 with a basket by Charmian Cheah (#13) who eventually emerged with a game-high 18 points, including two 3-pointers.
A free throw by Nanyang’s Charmain (#13) and a basket by Liwen (#14) gave Nanyang the lead 31-30 amidst loud cheers from their bench and supporters.
However, Nanyang could not hold on to that lead and were dealt a devastating blow when a 3-point shot by Putri (#5) catapulted Dunman into a two-point 33-31 lead with 19 seconds to go on the clock, which was how the game ended.
Putri (#5) didn’t think her team played well despite the win.
She said: “We were off-form because we were feeling complacent. We thought that we could beat [Nanyang] but underestimated their ability.”
Nanyang’s Lim Boon Yee (#12) and Liwen (#14) felt that their team played “relatively well” and “could have won if not for the last 3-pointer.” Nanyang are now looking for a favourable grouping in the second round of the competition.
The draw for Round 2 of the National C Division Basketball Championship will take place after the final Round 1 games on Monday, August 6th.
Score by Quarter
Dunman vs Nanyang Girls’ High
1st Q: 8-4
2nd Q: 9-7 (17-11)
3rd Q: 8-10 (25-21)
4th Q: 8-10
Final: 33-31
Top Scorers
Dunman Secondary
Putri (#5) — 9 points
Sofia (#12) — 7 points
Adlina (#14) — 5 points
Nanyang Girls’
Charmian Cheah (#13) — 18 points
Lim Boon Yee (#12) — 7 points
Dunman Roster
Khaliesah (#4), Putri (#5), Marsha (#6), Amanda (#7), Emi (#8), Dominique (#9), Tanya (#10), Aqidah (#11), Sofia (#12), Kattleya (#13), Adlina (#14), Pearlyn (#15)
Nanyang Girls’ Roster
Sheryl Ng (#4), Zhimin (#5), Weiwen (#6), Chloe Yan (#7), Boon Jiahwee (#8), Natasha (#9), Rachel Wong (#10), Dalini Viktoria Rajandhran (#11), Lim Boon Yee (#12), Charmian Cheah (#13), Liwen (#14), Ywhin (#15)
National C Division Basketball Championship – full fixtures and results
More photos in gallery next page
[…] Today’s semi-final match was a rematch of the Round 1 group encounter between the two teams, which saw Nanyang dealt a heartbreak when a last-minute 3-point shot sealed the deal for Dunman. […]