By Clara Yuan/Red Sports

SZ-BBALL-GIRLS-SMS-ZHS-1

Players fighting over possession of the ball. (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)

PESEB, Wednesday, March 4, 2015 — Zhonghua Secondary (ZHS) defeated St. Margaret’s Secondary (SMS) 50–31, finishing third in the South Zone B Division Girls’ Basketball Championship.

Chua Yi Jing (#14) of Zhonghua led her team with a game-high 10 points while Siti Hajar (#6) and Roshni Ramesh (#10) of St Margaret’s put up eight points each.

Zhonghua dominated from the start, registering a 9–0 run with good fast breaks, scoring effortlessly on layups. Xiao Chengxin (#11) of St. Margaret’s scored the opening basket for her team with a layup effort. St. Margaret’s struggled to break through Zhonghua’s defence and thus, Zhonghua led 15–6 at the end of the first quarter.

St. Margaret’s came back stronger in the second quarter. Defensively, they managed to shut out Zhonghua’s attacking plays, but they did not manage to score any points in the first eight minutes into the quarter. However, it was not enough to reduce the deficit, and St. Margaret’s trailed 10–20 leading into the halftime break.

St. Margaret’s kept up with their defensive efforts but Zhonghua managed to maintain their composure and played with good team chemistry. Zhonghua eventually managed to extend their lead in the final quarter where they made accurate passes coupled with good finishing. Zhonghua eventually won the game 50–31.

Zhonghua’s captain, Tan Jia Hong (#9), said, “The game was well played as the girls did their best on court. We did better for the first and last quarter because we managed to calm ourselves down and observe more to make more accurate passes to attack.”

St Margaret’s captain, Siti (#6) commented, “The game was very intense and it was a great experience for us. We did better in the first half as we cheered on each other and fought hard.”

Scoring by Quarter
Zhonghua vs St. Margaret’s
1st Q: 15–6
2nd Q: 5–4 (20–10)
3rd Q: 14–9 (34–19)
4th Q: 16–12 (50–31)

Top Scorers
Zhonghua
Chua Yi Jing (#14) – 10 points
Tang Li Shan (#6) – 9 points
Esther Yip (#4) – 9 points

St. Margaret’s
Siti Hajar (#6) – 8 points
Roshni Ramesh (#10) – 8 points

Zhonghua Roster
Esther Yip (#4), Neo Wei Ling (#5), Tang Li Shan (#6), Reanne Ching (#7), Sophia Ong (#8), Tan Jia Hong (#9), Sherry Lee (#10), Ashley Phui (#11), Jeslyn Chew (#12), Ruth Chong (#13), Chua Yi Jing (#14), Foo Qi En (#15)

St. Margaret’s Roster
Neha Narakattuvalappil (#4), Isabella Carmen (#5), Siti Hajar (#6), Ain Azizah (#7), Linette Lum (#8), Akila Suresh Raja (#9), Roshni Ramesh (#10), Xiao Chengxin (#11), Megan Chin (#12), Fang Hui Hui (#13), Brenda Leong (#14)

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