Story By REDintern Zachary Foo. Photos by REDintern Sasha Christian
Ho Sheng Yang (#14) sets up for another shot. He was the top scorer in the game, accounting for half his team’s points with 19. (Photo 1 © REDintern Sasha Christian)
PESEB Court 1, Friday, July 12, 2013 — Henderson Secondary (HSS) built on a strong first half and never looked back, beating Serangoon Garden Secondary (SGS) 38–22 to send them to the top of Group D in the South Zone C Division Basketball Championship. This was Henderson’s second win, while it marked an inauspicious start to Serangoon Gardens’ campaign.
Henderson jumped out of the gates early in the first quarter, attempting to fast break at every opportunity. The tactic proved to be successful as they stole the ball multiple times from Serangoon’s ball-handlers, leading to easy baskets. Even when they were limited to a half-court set and facing a solid man-to-man defence from Serangoon, Henderson utilised a sound pick and roll game to generate opportunities.
This proved to be the same in the second quarter, as Henderson slowly piled on their lead, led by their captain Ho Sheng Yang (HSS #14). Sheng Yang eventually totalled 19 points to lead all scorers in the game. Serangoon were able to generate multiple open looks on their end, but were unable to get their shots to fall, leaving them 9–23 down heading into the second half.
In the third quarter, both teams encountered a scoring drought lasting approximately six minutes. This ended when Tay Hock Soon (Serangoon Gardens #8) caught fire, scoring seven consecutive points in a short one-minute span. He scored through a variety of ways, a tough baseline jumper, a one-handed floater over a crowded paint and finally a three-pointer after a steal. His display was a visible cause for concern for the Henderson bench, as the coach could be heard ordering his players to regroup their defence.
Serangoon displayed some signs of a comeback early in the fourth quarter, with their players being very active on defence and limiting Henderson’s shots. However, their shooting slump on the offensive end came back to haunt them. This allowed Henderson to pull away and preserve the win in the end.
Henderson’s captain, Ho Sheng Yang (#14) was pleased with the win. “I’m happy that we were able to notch our second win. Our fast break in the first quarter was extremely successful, but credit should be given to Serangoon Garden, who did their best to stop us. We had a little scare when Serangoon’s #8 (Tay Hock Soon) scored seven straight points but we managed to maintain our composure. We hope that we can build on this and make the second rounds. Our goal this year would be to qualify for Nationals!”
Serangoon’s captain, Terence Tan (#4) and vice-captain, Teo Hock Soon (#8), were visibly unsatisfied with the way they played. “The game was extremely tiring and we did not play well,” said Terence. “Our passes need to be faster and we need to help each other out on defence more. We need to do our best, even if we don’t win.”
Scoring by Quarter
Henderson vs Serangoon Gardens
1st Quarter:11–7
2nd Quarter:12–2 (23–9)
3rd Quarter:6–9 (29–18)
4th Quarter:9–4 (38–22)
Top Scorers
Henderson
Ho Sheng Yang (#14) – 19 points
Khairul (#8) – 6 points
Serangoon Gardens
Tay Hock Soon (#8) – 15 points (2 x 3-pointers)
Henderson Roster
Ming Hao (#4), Shang Chun (#5), Koh Shun Wei (#6), Ng Xi Heng (#7), Khairul (#8), Jonas Zhuang (#9), Chua Ming Han (#10), Goh Sie Howe (#11), Rusdy Rokhmanko (#12), Adrian (#13), Ho Sheng Yang (#14), Muhd Harris (#15)
Serangoon Garden Roster
Terance Tan Zheng Yuan (#4), Johansen B Jauhari Jos (#5), Zeus Lim Jia Hao (#6), Darryle Xedrik De Quiroz (#7), Tay Hock Soon (#8), Wesley Wong (#9), Tan Jun Xiang (#10), Bryan Anico Liwanag (#11), Vinayagamoorthy Manikandan (#12), Tan Kai Wen (#13), Ryan Lim Chuan Ren (#14), Aballe Tyrone Kenneth Macatang (#15)
2013 South Zone C Division Basketball Championship – fixtures and results
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