By Gan Yu Neng/Red Sports
Lim Zhi Cong (#8) of Presbyterian High dishes out a pass to a waiting teammate against Unity. Zhi Cong finished with a team-high 17 points. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Clementi Sports Hall, Monday, August 13, 2012 — After a game that stayed close up to the latter half of the third quarter, Unity Secondary, the West Zone champions, eventually pulled away to defeat North Zone champions Presbyterian High 67-51 in convincing fashion in their second match of Round 2 in the National C Division Basketball Championship.
The score was tied at 36-36 with less than four minutes to go to the end of the third quarter, but Tan Ming Hui (#9) grabbed a mis-pass from Presbyterian High’s Cane Kristian (#11) and ran it all the way down for the lay-up, ending the third quarter with Unity two points ahead.
This gap only proceeded to grow as the game progressed. In the final quarter, Presbyterian High suddenly seemed to cave in, making repeated misses and allowing Unity to take possession and go on a 10-point streak that pushed Unity’s lead all the way to 14 points at 55-41.
Under pressure, Presbyterian High continued to make costly misses on their lay-ups, three-point attempts, and especially passes. Unity’s Jun Lin (#10) and Shahrul Ramdum (#15) did not hesitate to punish Presbyterian High for these slip-ups, quickly capturing the rebounds and returning them to Presbyterian High’s own basket.
With both teams putting up strong defensive formations, the bulk of the game’s points were scored by shots from mid-range or just within the three-point line. A total of nine three-pointers were successfully scored during the match, with Presbyterian High not managing a single one in the second half.
Presbyterian High’s Lim Zhi Cong (#8) was the team’s top scorer with 17 points, including nine from three-pointers. His large, athletic build and speed made him a real force to reckon with, whether on fast breaks or head-to-head at the basket, and his ability to just take a step back and go for the three-pointer made him especially difficult to guard against.
Also remarkable was Presbyterian High’s Liau Li Jiang (#4), whose enormous size made it extremely difficult for Unity to capture either offensive or defensive rebounds while he was under the basket. Li Jiang was also skilful with feints, causing Unity’s players to jump prematurely and giving him better chances at either converting the offensive rebounds or passing the ball out to his teammates.
Unity’s Thng Yong An (#5) and Kovic Lee (#8) were tied with a game-high score of 18 points each. Yong An was on the court for the entire match, running tirelessly for intercepts, drives, and in order to catch Presbyterian High’s fast breaks.
On the offense, Yong An moved swiftly to penetrate Presbyterian High’s defense. Yong An scored the first points for Unity when, during the first quarter, he caught one of Presbyterian High’s missed three-point attempts, ran with the ball all the way to the other side of the court, passed Presbyterian High’s defense by stepping in with a sharp spin, and scored with a lay-up.
Right up to the end of the game, Presbyterian High did not make it easy for Unity to get through their defensive formation. Unity exhausted the shot clock several times while trying to get through Presbyterian High’s defense, and had to make quick last-ditch throws before the referee called for a turnover.
Asked about his feelings on the match, Unity’s captain, Jun Lin (#10), was succinct.
“It was good. [Presbyterian High] today play not very good. We played well today, we managed to beat the North Zone champions! Our defense was good; better than last time,” said Jun Lin.
Presbyterian High’s captain, Zhi Cai (#7), was a little more critical of his team’s performance.
“The offense was very bad,” he said. “We mis-passed quite a lot.”
Should Presbyterian High fail to win their final round two match, it will be their last this season.
Zhi Cai will move on to the B Division next year. His personal goals for the future B Div team: “National champions. Also, to play better.”
Unity will next face Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary, who managed to overcome Presbyterian High in their first Nationals Round 2 match after losing to them twice over the course of the zonal championships. With one win already in the bag, Ahmad Ibrahim have a chance of getting to the semi-final stage if they can beat Unity by a large enough margin. The match will take place on Tuesday, 14th August, 1pm at Clementi Sports Hall.
Presbyterian High will next face off against North Vista Secondary, in a rematch of their North Zone final. Presbyterian High must win this match and hope for Unity to beat Ahmad Ibrahim on the neighbouring court if they want to continue on to the National semi-finals. The match will also be on Tuesday, 14th August, 1pm at Clementi Sports Hall.
Score by Quarter
Unity vs Presbyterian High
1st Q: 21-17
2nd Q: 7-13 (28-30)
3rd Q: 13-9 (41-39)
4th Q: 26-12
Final Score: 67-51
Top Scorers
Unity
Thng Yong An (#5) — 18 points
Lee Kovic (#8) — 18 points
Foo Jun Lin (#10) — 9 points
John Christopher (#7) — 7 points
Tan Ming Hui (#9) — 5 points
Shahrul Ramdum (#15) — 4 points
Leon Chin (#14) — 2 points
David Martin (#11) — 2 points
Muhd Afiq (#12) — 2 points
Presbyterian High
Lim Zhi Cong (#8) — 17 points
Lin Sheng Xiang (#9) — 13 points
Liau Li Jiang (#4) — 8 points
Tng Zhi Cai (#7) — 7 points
Dylan Lee (#13) — 4 points
Lee Zhi Yu (#10) — 2 points
Unity Roster
Indra Dzuliman (#4), Thng Yong An (#5), Markus Lin (#6), John Christopher (#7), Lee Kovic (#8), Tan Ming Hui (#9), Foo Jun Lin (#10), David Martin (#11), Muhd Afiq (#12), Brandon Tan (#13), Leon Chin (#14), Shahrul Ramdum (#15)
Presbyterian High Roster
Liau Li Jiang (#4), Eugene Han (#5), Amos Lim (#6), Tng Zhi Cai (#7), Lim Zhi Cong (#8), Lin Sheng Xiang (#9), Lee Zhi Yu (#10), Cane Kristian (#11), Joel Kwok (#12), Dylan Lee (#13), Tan Ejin (#14), Joshua Ngo (#15)
National C Division Basketball Championship — full fixtures and results
More photos in gallery next page
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