Story by Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by Joseph Lee/Red Sports
Ng Wei Xiang (NYP #66) having his shot contested from behind by Jang Wook (NP #4). (Photo 1 © Joseph Lee/Red Sports)
ITE College West, Wednesday, November 13, 2013 — Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) turned on the heat in the second half to beat a scrappy Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) team 61–54 in the Polytechnic-Institute of Technical Education (POL-ITE) Basketball Championship. NP had a solid start in the first half, but NYP managed to shake off issues with their team chemistry to pull off the comeback win. Loh You Ren (NYP #1) led all scorers with 16 points.
NP started off the first quarter strong, passing the ball well and making shots on each possession. NYP seemed lethargic early on, conceding offensive rebounds to NP, which kept their offensive possessions alive. Their offence was horrible, as they seemed to settle for contested jumpers. This resulted in a lot of missed shots for NYP and this gave NP the lead going into the second quarter.
NYP started to gel together in the second quarter, their players seemed more focused and alert on both ends of the court. Their defence packed the middle in an attempt to deter drives to the basket. On offence, they were able to manoeuvre the ball around the court extremely well, inevitably finding an open player for the score. They were methodical about their work on the court and eventually trimmed the lead to one point going into half time.
The third quarter was marked by a scoring barrage as both teams traded buckets at a frenetic pace. NYP started to gain the upper hand, as they went on a 9–0 run near the end of the quarter to give them a 51–42 lead. NP were struggling to find their shot during the run, as their drives were met at the rim by the imposing figure of Delvin Goh (NYP # 77), who managed to alter their attempts.
NP got a second wind in the final quarter, as they started to nail their three-point attempts. They managed to pull off a couple of defensive stops, which allowed them to trim the NYP lead to one point with three minutes left in the game. However, that was as close as they would get, as NYP reeled off an 8–0 run to close out the game.
NYP captain, Jason Tan (NYP #23), said: ” It was a tough game today, as our coach was not present for our previous two games. Our team chemistry was not there in the first quarter, but we managed to recover and win the game. I hope we will finish in the top three to qualify for IVP as we have high expectations for this team.”
Scoring by Quarter
NYP vs NP
1Q: 14–15
2Q: 15–15 (29–30)
3Q: 24–12 (53–42)
4Q: 8–12 (61–54)
Final score: 61–54
Top Scorers
NP
Moses Ng (#1) – 11 points (1 x 3 pointer)
JangWook (#4) – 9 points
Kennedy Toh (#30) – 9 points (1 x 3 pointer)
NYP
Loh You Ren (#1) – 16 points (1 x 3 pointer)
Delvin Goh (#77) – 15 points
NP Roster
Moses Ng (#1), Joshua Gay (#3), JangWook Kop (#4), Kwan Jian Fu (#6), Wilson Ang (#7), Goh Zhung Kiat (#9), Hiew Zi Hao (#12), Lim Ming Jun (#13), Joey Tan (#15), Anthony Khoo (#20), Sng Guo Liang (#23), Marc Francis Palero (#22), Kennedy Toh (#30), Loo Jia Man (#90), Low Swee Leong (#91)
NYP Roster
Loh You Ren (#1), Loh Yi Ren (#2), Gordon Loy (#3), Yeow Yong Chin (#4), Jason Tan (#5), Ian Valentino (#7) Nicholas Pwi (#11), Jerald Lim (#13), Ang Kah Yong (#14), Jason Tan (#23), Lim Swee Hock (#29), Ng Wei Xiang (#66), Delvin Goh (#77), Wong Keng Yang (#88), Remus Low (#99)
Thank you for the rosters!
Moses Ng (#1), Joshua Gay (#3), JangWook Kop (#4), Kwan Jian Fu (#6), Wilson Ang (#7), Goh Zhung Kiat (#9), Hiew Zi Hao (#12), Lim Ming Jun (#13), Joey Tan (#15), Anthony Khoo (#20), Sng Guo Liang (#23), Marc Francis Palero (#22), Kennedy Toh (#30), Loo Jia Man (#90), Low Swee Leong (#91)