Story by Jiexin Neo/Red Sports. Photos by Laura Lee/Red Sports
Michael Pacifico (QSS #8) shoots from the inside. Michael recorded 18 points in his team’s loss to Unity. (Photo 1 © Laura Lee/Red Sports)
Clementi Sports Hall, Friday, March 28, 2014 — Unity Secondary (USS) outscored Queensway Secondary (QSS) in the second half to defeat them 64–58, securing their second win in the National B Division Boys Basketball Championship to proceed to the second round.
Thng Yong-An (USS #5) finished with a game-high 19 points, while Pacifico Rafio (QSS #8) and Chua Hao Jun (QSS #12) had 18 points each.
Chua Hao Jun (QSS #12) took the lead to kick off Queensway’s game as he made interceptions, then finishing off in the paint to put in two baskets straight. Unity and Queensway were tied at 8–8 midway through the first quarter, but Hao Jun’s (QSS #12) composed jumper at the four-minute mark allowed Queensway the 10–8 lead.
On the other hand, Kovic Lee (USS #8) was diligently driving round his opponents to go up for the basket in the paint, earning free throws along the way. He put in six points from free throws alone in the first quarter.
Queensway managed to outscore Unity in the first quarter to lead 23–19.
In the second quarter, Queensway rotated the ball round the perimeter during offensive plays, in which they would find their open teammates in the key to feed them the ball. They made fluid passes and enjoyed good finishing.
For Unity, Thng Yong-An (#5) played a major role both defensively and offensively. He played tight defence and made several steals. Not only that, he went on strong drives to go for uncontested layups. He contributed 12 points in the first half of the game.
Towards the end of the first half, both teams tried to gain possession of the ball with aggressive defensive efforts, resulting in several turnovers. However both teams failed to find the range with most of their shots. With that, Queensway continued to lead 38–33 going into the break.
Early into the second half, Unity outscored their opponents to draw even with Queensway, with Kovic (USS #8) sinking a 3-pointer to catch up to 40–40.
Queensway’s Pacifico Rafio (#8) and Hao Jun (#12) were the key players for their team as they battled against Unity’s defence to make marks on the scoresheet.
For the rest of the game, not more than five points separated the teams. Unity were the better team offensively with their strong drives and good team chemistry, but were unable to make most of their shots fall. They were desperately trying to make their shots go in to give themselves breathing room over Queensway, but to no avail.
On the other hand, Queensway’s efforts were commendable as they pushed Unity to their limit, striving hard for a win. Their efforts came to naught as Yong-An (USS #5) went on a scoring streak towards the end, putting in seven points straight to give Unity the final 64–58 win over Queensway.
This is Unity’s second win in the first round of the campaign, while Queensway have two losses now and are eliminated from the championship.
Unity captain, Jun Lin (#10), said, “It was a tough game. We were losing at the start, but in the last quarter we fought back and won. We were worried of getting eliminated in this round when Queensway were leading.”
Scoring by Quarter
Queensway vs Unity
1Q: 25–19
2Q: 13–14 (38–33)
3Q: 10–15 (48–48)
4Q: 10–16 (58–64)
Final score: 58–64
Top Scorers
Queensway
Pacifico Rafio (#8) – 18 points
Chua Hao Jun (#12) – 18 points
Unity
Thng Yong-An (#5) – 19 points (2 x 3 pointer)
Queensway Secondary 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)
Unity Secondary Roster
Maung Khant Htet (#4), Thng Yong-An (#5), Caraig John Christopher Bico (#6), Jacinth Figueroa Aban (#7), Lee Ko Vic Ariel Nestor (#8), Tan Min Hui (#9), Foo Jun Lin (#10), Caraig David Martin Bico (#11), Matthew Choo Ming-En (#12), Maverick Jercel E. Dasig (#13), Leon Chin Wei Chen (#14), Shahrul B Ramdan (#15)
National B Division Boys Basketball Championship — Fixtures and Results
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