Story by Jasmine Goh/Red Sports. Photos by Clara Yuan/Red Sports
John Christopher (USS #7) attempts to break through his defenders. John scored a game-high 24 points. (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)
Jurong West Sports Hall, Wednesday, January 28, 2014 — Defending champions Unity Secondary (USS) defeated Hillgrove Secondary (HG) 108–22 in the preliminary round of the West Zone B Division Basketball Championship.
John Christopher (USS #7) paced his team with a game-high 24 points, while Tan Zhi En (HG #10) scored a team-high 14 points.
Both teams appeared to be evenly-matched early into the game. Midway through the first quarter, the scores were level at 7–6. Hillgrove were capitalizing on fast breaks to gain easy points, adding consistently to the scoreboard. Tan Zhi En (HG #10) had a good start to his game and registered 10 points in the first quarter alone.
Hillgrove trailed by only a single point (14–15) at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Hillgrove faced great pressure from Unity’s defence and thus their offensive plays did not gel. Lim Jun Jie (HG #13) was controlling his team’s offensive pace, trying to find his open teammates during the game but failed to do so. Unity went on to record an impressive 28–0 scoring run to end off the second quarter.
Brandon Tan (USS #4) drilled the wide-open three pointer to step up Unity’s offensive game in the third quarter. Tan Min Hui (USS #9) followed suit to threaten Hillgrove’s defence in the paint, cutting in to add five more points to the scoreboard. Unity led 83–16 going into the final quarter.
John Christopher (USS #7) continued to put up an impressive performance in the final quarter with his well-rounded game. Offensively, he was dishing out well-placed passes, while defensively, he was going for one steal after another. Although Hillgrove managed to break out of their scoring drought through Tan Zhi En (HG #10) and Mandeep Singh (HG #15), it was not enough to reduce the significant deficit. Unity went on to take the game 108–22.
Unity’s captain, Thng Yong-An (#7), said, “We failed to settle down early into the game. Hillgrove put up a tough fight and they managed to compete with us in the first quarter. However, we managed to pick ourselves up eventually.”
Hillgrove’s captain, Lim Jun Jie (#13), said, “Our formation worked in the first quarter and we manage to catch up with them. We played well and tried our best.”
With this win, Unity now top Group B with a 3–0 win-loss record, and will be meeting Hua Yi Secondary in their final group stage game. Unity defeated NUS High (98–10) and Kranji Secondary (74–28) and are looking hungry for the zonal title this year.
The match will take place at Jurong West Sports Hall this Friday, January 30, at 4.15 p.m.
Scoring by Quarter
Unity vs Hillgrove
1Q: 15–14
2Q: 36–0 (51–14)
3Q: 32–6 (83–16)
4Q: 108–22 (25–6)
Top Scorers
Unity
John Christopher (#7) – 24 points (3 x 3 pointers)
Thng Yong-An (#8) – 16 points (2 x 3 pointers)
Hillgrove
Tan Zhi En (#10) – 14 points
Unity Secondary Roster
Brandon Tan Jun Kai (#4), Lok Jun Jie (#5), Huang Jun Heng (#6), Caraig John Christopher Bico (#7), Thng Yong-An (#8), Tan Min Hui (#9), Karl Brian Dizon Villegas (#10), Liu En Hong (#11), Matthew Choo Ming-En (#12), Maverick Jercel E. Dasig (#13), Sheares Ang (#14), Victor Benedict V. Montallana (#15)
Hillgrove Secondary Roster
Stanley Soh Koon Siang (#4), Peh Di Quan (#5), Medwin Kiang Yi (#6), Kelvin Oh (#7), Tan Zhi Kai (#8), Gary Ng Jing Kai (#9), Tan Zhi En (#10), Nigel Yap (#11), Lee Guan Rong (#12), Lim Jun Jie (#13), Er Jun Wei (#14), Mandeep Singh (#15)
2015 West Zone B Division Basketball Championship – fixtures and results
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