Story By REDintern Jiexin Neo. Photos by REDintern Clara Yuan
Neo Eng Seng (OPS #10) manages to gain possession of ball. (Photo 1 © REDintern Clara Yuan)
Singapore Basketball Centre, Wednesday, January 22, 2014 — North Vista Secondary (NV) overcame Orchid Park Secondary (OPSS) with an easy 69–22 win in the North Zone B Division Basketball Championship.
Sim Xuan (NV #9) scored a game-high 17 points with five 3-pointers, while Lew Ying Kang (OPSS #7) registered a team-high seven.
Early into the game, North Vista were leading by six points but Orchid Park’s good team effort allowed them to close the gap to trail only by one point (9–10).
The second quarter started off at a relatively fast pace with North Vista trying to pull away, but Orchid Park retaliated with aggressive defence, hoping to keep the score close. Things took a turn when North Vista started their full-court defense, pressuring their opponents. It worked as Orchid Park were unable to get the ball beyond the half-court mark. This resulted in several turnovers and as such North Vista managed to extend their lead effortlessly, putting up an 18–1 scoring run for the quarter.
In the third quarter, Ying Kang (OPSS #7) was the difference maker for Orchid Park as he was extremely determined in his drives to the basket, earning free throws and putting in several points. On the other hand, Sim Zhen (NV #13) was on fire, scoring eight points in the third quarter alone.
Nearing the end of the quarter, North Vista executed a full-court man-to-man defense, which made Orchid Park flustered. They tried long passes but these were easily intercepted by North Vista.
Orchid Park changed their game plan in the fourth quarter, where they managed to break North Vista’s full-court defense with give-and-go plays. It started off with impressive passes from Ka Shing (OPSS #9) to Justin (OPSS #13) and then to Eng Seng (OPSS #10), from the baseline to the basket. From there they switched to bounce passes and similar plays to get past North Vista’s defence, but they were unable to convert many scoring chances.
Offensively, North Vista were still dominant, with outstanding ball distribution round the court. This was seen especially from the performance of Sim Xuan (NV #9), who passed a lot to his open teammates and made aggressive offensive efforts, earning many chances for the team.
Towards the end, although the deficit were too large to overcome, Ying Kang (OPSS #7) continued to lead his team offensively and never stopped trying. North Vista also did not let their guard down, with Jolo Emmanuel (NV #7) and Christian Co Pepito (NV #5) making a good pair offensively, helping each other with their scoring, registering a total contribution of nine points.
Orchid Park captain Ying Kang (#7) said, “I think the team fought hard despite North Vista’s aggressive defence. I’m happy that the team continued fighting and did not give up halfway. It was a good fight as most of those in the team came up from C Division so they are not very experienced. I think we have to work on our defence and mental strength.”
North Vista captain Dorjee Chokka Lama (#4) said, “Today our team did not play up to expectations. We have to work on giving our opponents less transition offenses and be more aggressive defensively. Offensively, we did not do well in the first half but I think we came back stronger in the second half. Our aim for this year is to get into the finals.”
Scoring by Quarter
OPS vs NV
1Q: 9–10
2Q: 1–18 (10–28)
3Q: 7–18 (17–46)
4Q: 5–23 (22–69)
Final score: 22–69
Top Scorers
Orchid Park
Lew Ying Kang (#7) – 7 points (4 x 3 pointer)
North Vista
Sim Xuan (#9) – 17 points (5 x 3 pointer)
Dorjee Chokka Lama (#4) – 10 points (2 x 3 pointer)
Sim Zhen (#13) – 10 points (2 x 3 pointer)
Orchid Park Roster
Tan Yi Yang Eugene (#4), So Jun Hao (#5), Sean Leong Wai Fung (#6), Lew Ying Kang (#7), Tan Ming Wei (#8), Lau Ka Shing (#9), Neo Eng Seng (#10), Ng Xuan Fu (#11), Zheng Jinhe (#12), Justin Tan Kai En (#13), Tan Zhen Yi (#14), Marcus Lim Rui Po (#15)
North Vista Roster
Dorjee Chokka Lama (#4), Christian Co Pepito (#5), Nicholas Tay (#6), Jolo Emmanuel (#7), Fabian Low (#8), Sim Xuan (#9), Shiek Ridwan (#10), Sim Jun (#11), Lim Zhi Kang (#12), Sim Zhen (#13), Darius Ong (#14), Ng Jia Le (#15)
2014 North Zone B Division Basketball Championship – fixtures and results
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