By REDintern Dylan Chua. Photos by REDintern Chan Hua Zheng.

A Pei Hwa player rises for a jumpshot over the Catholic High defense.

A Pei Hwa player rises for a jumpshot over the Catholic High defense. (Photo 1 © REDintern Chan Hua Zheng)

Singapore Basketball Centre, Wednesday, January 20, 2016 — Travis (CHS #3) sparked a 12-2 run early in the 4th quarter to inspire Catholic High to a 37-33 comeback victory over Pei Hwa Secondary in the North Zone B Division Basketball Championship.

Travis (CHS #3) bagged a game-high 13 points and teammate Kai Xuan (CHS #4) finished with 10 points in the victory. Nicholas Lee (#4) and Lee Jia Hao (#11) both score a team-high 7 points to lead Pei Hwa.

In a game which might go a long way in deciding the final standings at the top of Group D, both teams started out with anxiety and it was no surprise that shots from both sides were not falling. Kai Xuan (CHS #4) was responsible for Catholic High’s first two made field goals which included a three-pointer with 6:20 left in the 1st quarter to hand Catholic High a 5-2 lead.

Pei Hwa responded brilliantly, playing with aggressiveness to score several under baskets, leading 11-7 with two minutes to go in the opening period.

In the 2nd quarter, Catholic High guards constantly used dribble drives to draw double teams and feed wide-open teammates for long range attempts. Yet, their shots were not falling and Pei Hwa pounced on their opponents’ misses to lead 17-11 at the half.

With 4:41 to go in the 3rd quarter and Pei Hwa up by two, Travis (CHS #3) was fouled as he made a driving lay-up in traffic. He completed the three-point play to hand Catholic High its first lead since early in the 1st quarter.

The lead barely lasted, as Pei Hwa headed the other way and made a contested three-pointer to regain the lead. Pei Hwa led 25-23 heading into the 4th and could sense that an upset was on the cards.

With the game hanging in the balance, Travis (CHS #3) tied the game at 25 with a fast break lay-up. On the ensuing possession, Pei Hwa crashed hard on the offensive board and impressively grabbed three consecutive offensive rebounds. They attempted a staggering four three-pointers in that possession but to their dismay, made none.

The game was then turned on its head, with a combination of poor defending and costly turnovers by Pei Hwa allowing Travis (CHS #3) to score a game-changing eight straight points and put Catholic High in the lead for good.

Pei Hwa’s last ditch attempt to rescue the game proved insufficient as Catholic High expertly saw out the game and edged out Pei Hwa for an all-important four-point win.

Travis (CHS #3) commented post-game, “We started out slow and were trailing but we still gave our very best till the end, resulting in a win for us.”

Scoring by Quarter
Pei Hwa vs Catholic High
1st quarter: 11-9
2nd quarter: 6-2 (17-11)
3rd quarter: 8-12 (25-23)
4th quarter: 8-14 (33-37)

Top Scorers
Pei Hwa
Nicholas Lee (#4) – 7 points
Lee Jia Hao (#11) – 7 points

Catholic High
Travis (#3) – 13 points
Kai Xuan (#4) – 10 points

Pei Hwa Roster
Nicholas Lee (#4), Goh Jun Wei (#5), Ringo Yim (#6), Henry Lee (#7), Darryl Ng (#8), Goh Jun Xian (#9), Seah Chee Wee (#10), Lee Jia Hao (#11), Chan Cheng How (#12), Bryan Khoo (#13), Jos (#14), Jovin (#15)

Catholic High Roster
Evan (#69), Kai Xuan (#4), Travis (#3), Luke (#5), Jay (#11), Yao En (#2), Gideon (#91), Yiheng (#27), Joshua (#7), Justin Lee (#1), Keith (#15), Choon Leng (#22)

North Zone B Division Basketball Championship – fixtures and results

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