Story by Koh Yizhe/Red Sports. Photos by REDintern Matthew Lau
Sherman Seet (ACS #10) goes for the lay up. (Photo 1 © REDintern Matthew Lau)
PESEB, Monday, March 3, 2014 – Undefeated Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) (ACS(BR)) were rampant against Queensway Secondary as they stormed into the final of the South Zone B Division Boys Basketball Championship with an impressive 97–55 win.
ACS(BR), who have yet to lose a game this season, had four players scoring in double-figures in the semi-final, with Sherman Seet (#10) the stand-out performer as he poured in a game-high 30 points. Misheel Bayaraa (#6), Michael Palero (#7) and Koh Jin Quan (#11) added 17, 16 and 15 points respectively in the victory.
Queensway’s Rafio Pacifico (#8) and Chua Hao Jun (#12) netted 15 points each in their team’s defeat.
“This was our best performance of the season,” declared ACS(BR) captain, Michael Palero (#7). “We fought for every single ball and our defence was good against them. Our team spirit this year is something that we have built up even though it has been a tiring season.”
ACS(BR) may have been undefeated but Queensway put that record to a stern test in the opening quarter. Despite going 2–11 down in the first couple of minutes, Queensway clawed their way back and ended the quarter just three points behind at 16–19.
However, it was not long before ACS(BR) found their rhythm.
Sherman was the best player on court for ACS(BR) in the first period, scoring 10 points, and when he cooled in the second, Michael was there to pick up where his teammate left off. The ACS(BR) captain dominated the boards and forced a couple of steals as his team began to stamp their authority on the match.
Queensway were having trouble creating on offence and were sluggish to return on defence, resulting in a couple of easy fast-break points. They faced a huge 25–45 deficit by the end of the second quarter.
More of the same followed in the next quarter as ACS(BR) stretched their lead. Jin Quan led the offence well as Queensway struggled to contain the free-flowing ACS(BR) attack. ACS(BR) were deadly from distance, nailing five shots from beyond the arc.
In contrast, Queensway were limited to points from the free-throw line, with six of their 11 points coming from the charity stripe. ACS(BR) led 77–36 at the end of the third quarter.
The leaders had the luxury of resting a couple of starters in the final period. Queensway tried their best to trim the deficit as they matched their opponents point for point. ACS(BR) were just able to maintain their lead, winning the fourth quarter by one point. However, it was long over as a contest by then as ACS(BR) sealed a 97–55 win.
They will next face Raffles Institution (RI) in the final. Michael gave his comments on the final, saying, “Although we beat them once in the second round, we have to forget whatever happened then as it is a new game. We hope to get our offence and defence right against them. Our target this year is not just this title, but to be a national top-four team.”
The final will be held on Thursday at Jurong East Sports Hall.
Scoring by Quarter
ACS(BR) vs Queensway
1st Quarter: 19–16
2nd Quarter: 26–9 (45–25)
3rd Quarter: 32–11 (77–36)
4th Quarter: 20–19 (97–55)
Top Scorers
ACS (Barker Road)
Sherman Seet (#10) – 30 points
Misheel Bayaraa (#6) – 17 points
Michael Palero (#7) – 16 points
Koh Jin Quan (#11) – 15 points
Queensway
Pacifico Rafio (#8) – 15 points
Chua Hao Jun (#12) – 15 points
ACS (Barker Road) Roster
Cedric Sim (#4), Ritz Neo (#5), Misheel Bayaraa (#6), Michael Palero (#7), Jonathan Bownass (#8), Kesster Teo (#9), Sherman Seet (#10), Koh Jin Quan (#11), Isaac Kwa (#12), Bryan Ong (#13), Kelvin Frany (#14), Akshay Anand (#15)
Queensway Roster
Gerald Tan (#4), Zacharie Lim (#5), Jordan Tay (#6), Tan Tiong Han (#7), Pacifico M.A Rafio Amatril (#8), Ernest Wan (#9), Damien Sim (#10), Low Junwei (#11), Chua Hao Jun (#12), Bill Tye (#13), Kim Tian Cai (#14), Brendan Yap (#15)
South Zone B Division Boys Basketball Championship — Fixtures and Results
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