Story by REDintern Zachary Foo. Photos by REDintern Sasha Christian
Yeo Zhi Wei (#9) of Balestier Hill steals the ball and pushes the tempo on a fast break. Zhi Wei had a team-high seven points in the losing effort. (Photo 1 © REDintern Sasha Christian)
PESEB Court 1, Friday, July 12, 2013 — Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) defeated Balestier Hill Secondary 43–16 to notch its first win in the South Zone C Division Basketball Championship. This win puts it in a tie with Bukit Merah in Group D.
ACS (Barker) started off strong in the first quarter, dominating the boards on both ends of the court. They were led by the play of V Lavin Raj (ACS (Barker) #15) who utilised his size to eat up space in the paint and gobble up rebounds. His point guards looked to pass the ball to him in the post at every opportunity and each time, he took advantage of his physical advantage to outmuscle his defender and get close to the rim for an easy shot. This proved crucial for ACS (Barker) in the later quarters as it helped to open up spaces for his team to exploit. Balestier Hill had a very shaky start, characterised with a few dribbling turnovers and their failure to convert most of their shot attempts.
In the second quarter, ACS (Barker) combined a smart defence with fluid ball movement on their fast breaks to build on their lead. Balestier Hill drivers looking to head to the rim were funneled into the imposing figure of Lavin(Barker #15), who swatted their shots away with impunity. Lavin was also a factor on the other end, opening up the lanes to assist his teammates, Akshay (ACS (Barker) #9) being one of the biggest beneficiaries.
In the second half, Balestier Hill switched it up and sought to tighten their defence and stop the leak. The game plan proved fruitful in the fourth quarter, where they managed to hold ACS (Barker) to single digits and outscore. Alas, it was too late and ACS (Barker) ran out 43–16 winners.
Captain of ACS (Barker), Akshay Anand, was satisfied with the win. “It was good that we played much better than our previous game! We communicated better and stepped up our defence in this game. Our cohesion was lacking when we faced Bukit Merah but we improved this time round and I hope it is something that we can continue to maintain throughout this tournament.”
Scoring by Quarter
Balestier Hill vs ACS(Barker)
1st Q: 1–10
2nd Q: 2–15 (3–25)
3rd Q: 4–10 (7–35)
4th Q: 9–8 (16–43)
Top Scorers
Balestier Hill
Yeo Zhi Wei (#9) – 7 points
ACS(Barker)
V Lavin Raj (#15) – 16 points
Akshay Anand (#9) – 15 points
ACS (Barker) Roster
Andre Shum Kai Heng (#4), Benjamin Toh Enming (#5), Kessler Teo (#6), Ram Sunda Putra S/O Sangaran V (#7), Ritz Neo Wee Jeen (#8), Akshay Anand (#9), Wong Jia Sheng Jerome (#10), Koh Kia Lok John (#11), Jake Khoo (#12), Ong Kit Hou (#13), Christopher Yeow Wei Hsiang (#14), V Lavin Raj (#15)
Balestier Hill Roster
Ong Kai Ferng Douglas (#4), Janarthanan S/O Manogaran (#5), Kittiratanasakul Mongkol (#6), Ooon Zong Li Brian (#7), Ong Xuan Deng(#8), Yeo Zhi Wei (#9), Zhao Si Qi(#10), Brandon Lim Lustres Wai Kit (#11), Lee Dong Yi Ronny (#12)
2013 South Zone C Division Basketball Championship – fixtures and results
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