West Zone C Div Bball: Boon Lay top group with 63–43 win over Zhenghua

Story by Jiexin Neo/Red Sports. Photos by Laura Lee/Red Sports

Delvin Low (Zheng Hua #15) denies Chakrit Ho (Boon Lay #8) of a shot to the basket. (Photo 1 © Laura Lee/Red Sports)

Clementi Sports Hall, Monday, July 14, 2014 — Boon Lay Secondary (BLS) beat Zhenghua Secondary (ZSS) 63–43 in the West Zone C Division Boys Basketball Championship.

Boon Lay remain undefeated and top their group with this win. Both teams have qualified for the second round.

Tan Cheng Shan (BLS #9) led his team with a game-high 24 points, while Tan Jun Yong (ZSS #9) had 11 points.

Zhenghua opened the scoring for the game, with Tan Jun Yong (#9) going for an easy two right after jumpball. Aries Rosario Abuan (BLS #5) then netted one on the wing to level at 2–2. It was a fast-paced game then on, as both teams ran for fast breaks at every opportunity. Midway through the game, Boon Lay were trailing 6–11 and called for a timeout, but it did not help much as Boon Lay made several mis-passes thereafter, squandering their offensive opportunities. Boon Lay were also rushing into their plays too much, allowing Zhenghua to intercept passes easily. With good shots conversion, Zhenghua then took a 19–14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Tan Jun Yong (ZSS #9) made a steal to go straight to the basket, then registering the first two points in the second quarter. Tan Cheng Shan (BLS #9) then returned a two on a strong drive in the next transition. From the start of this quarter, Boon Lay were making full use of their speed to gain an advantage over their defenders, running and staying ahead of them during fast breaks to score easy points. With that, Boon Lay chased the points to trail 20–21, and Aries (BLS #5) then converted on a lay up to take over the lead (22–21) six minutes into the quarter.

Boon Lay’s Cheng Shan (#9) and Aries (#5) paced their team’s attacks on transition offenses, initiating fast breaks with well-placed passes. Cheng Shan was also pulling down many rebounds both offensively and defensively. On the other hand, Zhenghua ran several fast breaks towards the end of the quarter, but were unable to convert as Boon Lay returned for defence quickly. Having found their touch in the second quarter, Boon Lay managed to take a comfortable 32–23 lead going into the halftime break.

Cheng Shan (BLS #9) netted a free throw to kick off the second half, but Edmund Ng (ZSS #8) returned a three on the wing in the following transition. Zhenghua were unable to break through Boon Lay’s aggressive defence in the third quarter, and thus they opted to take outside shots which did not fall. Zhenghua’s Delvin Low (#15) and Chua Yu Zhe (#12) executed post moves in the paint but were unable to put in points through that. Boon Lay continued to outscore Zhenghua 18–11 in the third quarter to lead 50–34.

Aries (BLS #5) went on a layup to score the first two points in the fourth quarter. Boon Lay managed to maintain their offensive pace this quarter, scoring seven unanswered points from the start to push their lead to 57–34. On the other hand, although Delvin Low (ZSS #15) stepped up his game this quarter, it was not enough as Zhenghua were struggling to put points onto the scoreboard with bad finishing. Boon Lay had a 20-point lead four minutes into the quarter, and maintained it to end the game 63–43 winners.

Boon Lay captain, Cheng Shan (#9), said, “I think the team played well, but my performance was bad. I think we made some good steals, and the forwards also did well during fast breaks. I think we have to improve on our rebounding.”

Scoring by Quarter
Boon Lay vs Zhenghua
Q1: 14–19
Q2: 18–4 (32–23)
Q3: 18–11 (50–34)
Q4: 13–9 (63–43)

Top Scorers
Boon Lay
Tan Cheng Shan (#9) – 24 points
Aries Rosario Abuan (#5) – 15 points

Zhenghua
Tan Jun Yong (#9) – 11 points (1 x 3 pointer)

Boon Lay Secondary Roster
Spenzer Ho (#4), Aries Rosario Abuan (#5), Alfred Chanokchai (#6), Tan Hung Zhe (#7), Chakrit Ho (#8), Tan Cheng Shan (#9), Gordon Lek (#10), Garcia Rupert (#11), Wang Hongyuan (#12), Tan Hung Zhe (#13), Teo Shi Peng (#14), Ng Zhi Loong (#15)

Zhenghua Secondary Roster
Kavin Kong (#4), Low Da Xun (#5), Tan Hong Bin (#6), Shaun Wong (#7), Edmund Ng (#8), Tan Jun Yong (#9), Lim Jun Hao (#10), Chia Xiang Qi (#11), Chua Yu Zhe (#12), Jerrie Tan (#13), Lee Woei Jing (#14), Delvin Low (#15)

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