By Red Sports reader Goh Darron
Catholic High School (Primary) – senior boys’ basketball champions. (Photo courtesy of Goh Darron)
Jurong East Sports Hall, Thursday, April 30, 2013 – Catholic High School (Primary) won their first ever Senior National Boys’ Basketball Championship when they beat perennial powerhouses Kranji Primary 46–39 in the final.
Buoyed by an earlier win against the same opponent in the second round group stage, our boys knew the game plan. In the end, we managed to secure the championship on the back of an unbeaten season lasting 16 matches across both Zone and Nationals. Against teams stacked with much older boys, players of much superior size, physique as well as athleticism and a competition featuring the best teams in Singapore, our boys have emerged with much pride and honour as the best team in Singapore.
True to the title of the best team, our deep rotation and depth has been a key factor in our success this year. With momentum on our side, entering the finals as the only unbeaten team left in the competition as well as a morale boosting semi-final win over the defending champions Telok Kurau Primary, we nonetheless could not take anything for granted or assume that our destiny would be cast in stone.
The boys were tasked to wear their red Catholic High School t-shirts on top of their jerseys to keep their body temperature constant, while energy in the form of bread and bananas were abundant for the boys to snack on before the game. The usual icebox of drinks was on hand and so were towels for the boys to dry themselves at every possible interval. Time was taken to talk and psych up all the players individually with the emphasis on playing it simple, fighting for every possession, working as a team and communicating on the court. The final team talk before the match served only to reinforce the values the boys have been taught since day one, that doing their best and playing for one another renders the result secondary. The effort expected from the boys once again was nothing less than their maximum and more.
After running through the pre-match drills and warm-ups, our boys took the court to shake hands with their opponents. The key to the game was to shut down the threat of the Kranji Primary no.9. After exchanging handshakes with our opponents, the match would then turn out to be anything but friendly. Watching their juniors, CCA teachers, form teachers, subject teachers, parents, siblings all slowly stroll into the venue, the boys must have felt intimidated by the strong support of the Kranji contingent who had teams in three of the four finals.
Whatever fear however would soon turn into strength and motivation as our boys started off brightly. Despite dominating the ball in the early exchanges, failure to convert on outside shots kept the score close. Our offensive struggles were hampering us as our opponents shifted into gear knowing that they needed a strong start with Primary rules dictating that their key player had to take to the bench in the second quarter. Despite better defence from Matthew (#9) and Andy (#11), our third line was once again a decisive factor in handing our opponents a clear advantage.
Down 3-4, our boys then allowed the craftiness of our opponents’ key player to get in for easy baskets. We soon found ourselves trailing 5-12 at the end of the quarter despite lockdown perimeter defence from Joshua (#7), Bryan (#6) and Justin (#10). The scant consolation was that we were securing rebounds and not allowing too many second chance points to our opponents. Justin (#10) rimmed three shots in the quarter but otherwise ran the point well. Bryan (#6) took a nasty knock to his hip and the officiating which left much to desire at this point once again turned a blind eye.
The second quarter once again proved to be the crucial and deciding factor as Ngee Yong (#15) and Ju Young (#8) took to the court. After blasting out of the blocks to narrow the deficit to three points, momentum died off as Ju Young (#8) struggled to finish a few decent chances.
However, at this point, one of our players decided that he was going to step up huge and make a difference. That player was none other than Gideon (#14), who started securing rebounds on both ends of the glass and hit three consecutive floaters in the paint to put our team in the lead. Gideon (#14) was clearly putting on his best display to date, getting in on interceptions and steals, fighting for every loose ball and showing a great finishing touch that seemed to desert Ju Young (#8) at this point.
Ju Young (#8) and Ngee Yong (#15) then took over matters as our boys steamrolled to a 15-1 quarter and a seemingly comfortable seven-point lead at the half. Key to the quarter, apart from Gideon (#14) coming up big, was the excellent free throw shooting of Ngee Yong (#15) who hit four foul shots and Ju Young’s and-one near the end. The half court trap defence led by Jordan (#5) and Jonathan (#13) was excellent once again and led to countless turnovers.
With both teams able to field what were their strongest line-ups in the third quarter, a decision to rest Ngee Yong (#15) for the start proved valuable as he then came on to see out the game with a strong display on both ends. With Justin (#10) running the point well and Jordan (#5) deputising for both Joshua (#7) and Justin (#10) ably, the bench helped keep the team on court fresh.
Matthew (#9) came in to play vital minutes for Ju Young (#8) and Joshua (#7) as well after Joshua (#7) took a nasty knock in the quarter and our seven man rotation would then proceed to see out the game. A close third quarter with our opponent’s no.9 hitting some ridiculous shots under close attention from two to three defenders ultimately ended with Kranji outscoring Catholic High 15–14.
Our boys increased the lead to double digits at times but were often pegged back by inspired play from our opponents. The last quarter saw our opponents playing their final card – a full court press which helped them overcome a huge deficit in their semi-final against Si Ling. Our boys however were already well drilled and prepared for such a situation and despite a few careless turnovers, notably a poor back pass by Bryan (#6) and a 10-second violation, comfortably sliced through the press for quick and easy buckets.
Nervy finishing however allowed our opponents to claw back and cut the lead to a mere three points but Ngee Yong (#15) once again broke easily for two finishes and Ju Young (#8) put the icing on the cake with a slashing drive. The excellent defensive effort from our boys on our opponent’s key player once again proved the difference as we held him to only 16 points. Our boys ultimately ran out the quarter outscoring Kranji 12–11 to secure an initially nervy but ultimately comfortable victory.
Ngee Yong (#15) led all scorers with a double-double of 14 points and countless boards and would easily have won the MVP award if not for the spectacular effort of Ju Young (#8) who was clearly the best player on court. Ju Young (#8) sent the crowd into ecstasy each time he took possession of the ball with cuts, slashes, bunny hops, euro-steps, jumpers and all the offensive arsenal one could want. Playing the role of a point forward in the second quarter as well showed his mass versatility and his efforts on the boards and defence were huge as well, as he ended the game with 13 points.
Justin (#10) was once again captain marvel as he controlled the pace of the game and the movement of the ball despite failing to get on the scoresheet. Matthew (#9) had a decent game playing vital minutes to give the others a breather and a key finish in the fourth quarter for his only points of the match kept our margin safe.
Bryan (#6) had another good outing with five points and a number of assists but was occasionally guilty of the sloppy or slow pass. His outside shooting once again kept our opponent’s defence honest and allowed our cutters to drive into the lanes with ease. Joshua (#7) was another deserving MVP candidate as he shook off his injuries sustained the day before and during the game to shut down our opponents no.9 while also linking up the play and taking on ball handling duties.
Joshua (#7) would also showcase his offensive threat and ended the game with six points including a vital four points in the first quarter. Jordan (#5) gave as good as it got in the minutes he took to the court and his hunger and desire to press the opponents led to countless turnovers.
Jonathan (#13) also had an excellent second quarter and would have had more minutes if not for the depth at the point guard position. Gideon (#14), as mentioned earlier, had a huge game and would have clocked more minutes on any other team but for the depth of our bench.
Andy (#11) had a decent quarter and was much better defensively although his offence failed to materialise, with more exposure, he is going to become an excellent player. Marcus (#4) and Jeriel (#12) both did not take to the court but their efforts in training have been fantastic just like all the other boys.
With both teams in the foul penalty in the last three quarters and an overall count of 19–14 in our favour, freebies at the charity stripe were decisive as well. Ngee Yong (#15) had four fouls in the game but also got to the line on numerous occasions and showed great composure to notch six points of freebies. Our opponents converted at a 50 percent clip (7 of 14 attempts) while our boys converted 8 of 19 attempts, a lower percentage but still giving us a one-point advantage, a reminder of the importance of attacking the basket and getting to the line as much as possible.
Despite only having one MVP award, which was handed out to Ju Young, I am sure everyone agrees that every single boy was an MVP in his own right. The effort, desire and time spent in training, friendly matches, watching basketball videos as well as bonding sessions ultimately paid off in the best way possible.
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