By REDintern Lim Yu-Han
Jacinth (Unity #5) goes up for two against the Dunman defence. Jacinth scored a game-high 21 points to propel his team to victory. (Photo 1 © REDintern Lim Yong Teck)
Clementi Sports Hall, Monday, April 8, 2013 — Unity Secondary beat Dunman Secondary 55–48 in a close second round fight at the National B Division Boys’ Basketball Championship.
Unity put in the first point of the game with a free throw from Darryl Lee (#13) and continued a 5–0 run till Dunman’s Bryan Ng (#12) halted it with his foul-in. Dunman overtook Unity 8–7 briefly as Nasrullah B. Suhairi (#9) successively sunk in a three and a fast-break. However, Unity’s Darryl (#13) converted both his free throws to swing Unity back into the lead. A tug-of-war ensued, with both teams seizing their turn to lead with every few baskets, ending 13–11 in Dunman’s favour for the first quarter.
Unity’s Darryl (#13) was quick to put in an equaliser to begin the second quarter but Mohamed Yussoff (#15) of Dunman answered swiftly with a two. Yussoff (#15), despite facing the two towering Unity centers, was able to put in several baskets in the paint. Dunman’s tight defence in the paint prevented their opponents from penetrating through, forcing Unity to bank on their shooting skills. Two consecutive fast-breaks from the light-footed Jacinth Aban Figueroa (#5) of Unity pulled them back into the lead 21–17. His stellar performance of steals and three-pointers allowed Unity to end the quarter leading 24–22.
Xu Teck Chong (#5) of Dunman started the second half with a nimble cut-in through the tall Unity defence to equalise 24–24. However, teamwork from Unity’s twosome, Alvin Yuen (#7) and pointguard Jacinth (#5), allowed the team to establish a 31–24 lead with two consecutive fast-breaks. Despite Dunman’s Bryan (#12) putting up a strong contest in the paint to score several under-baskets, Unity rained in too many three-pointers in this crucial quarter for Dunman to catch up, pulling away at 47–30. Unity’s Lim Jin Kai (#12), Alvin (#7) and Jacinth (#5) displayed sharp accuracy in their impressive storm of three-pointers.
A determined Suhairi (#9) of Dunman put in a three-point and a subsequent two to begin the deciding last quarter. Dunman’s spirited defence at the start saw many unconverted attempts on Unity’s side. However, Unity’s Darryl (#13) sunk in a three to further their lead at 50-37. To Dunman’s despair, Jacinth (#5) of Unity scored another five points successively; including a three-pointer. With less than two minutes left, Dunman’s composed and organized team play saw Bryan (#12) scoring four points. However, even with an impressive reverse layup by Dunman’s Teck Chong (#5) at the last second, Unity still triumped 55-48.
The third quarter with the three-pointers showdown from Unity proved to be too costly for Dunman, despite their enduring fighting spirit toward the end.
Unity’s captain, Jason Ong (#10), thought his team could have done better.
“This match was not that good. We didn’t meet the standards and could not hit the target of widening the gap to more than 13 points,” said Jason.
Dunman’s captain, Gibson Tay (#8), said: “We played badly today. Our defence only got better during the final quarter. We will be back stronger.”
Score by Quarter
Dunman vs Unity
1st Quarter: 13–11
2nd Quarter: 9–13 (22-24)
3rd Quarter: 8–23 (47-30)
4th Quarter: 18–8 (55-48)
Top Scorers
Dunman
Nasrullah B. Suhairi (#9) — 12 points (2 x 3 pointers)
Ng Jian Shuo Bryan (#12) — 12 points
Unity
Jacinth Aban Figueroa (#5) — 21 points (3 x 3 pointers)
Darryl Lee (#13) — 14 points (2 x 3 pointers)
Dunman Roster
Choo Tin Liang (#4), Xu Teck Chong (#5), Darien Mark Anonuevo (#6), Joshua Alas (#7), Gibson Tay (#8), Nasrullah B. Suhairi (#9), Tan Zhong Kuang Nicholas (#10), Kong Yiroon (#11), Ng Jian Shuo Bryan (#12), Tan Yi Rong (#13), Joel Chua Jun An (#14), Mohamed Yussoff (#15)
Unity Roster
Foo Jun Lin (#4), Jacinth Aban Figueroa (#5), Foo Jun Jie (#6), Alvin Yuen (#7), Lee Ko Vic Ariel Nestor (#8), Pay Xuan Ju (#9), Jason Ong (#10), Lim Chu Ming (#11), Lim Jin Kai (#12), Darryl Lee (#13), Johnson Yeoh (#14), Shaun Ang (#15)
2013 National B Division Boys’ Basketball Championship — fixtures and results
More photos next page
Leave A Comment