Story by Chan Hua Zheng/Red Sports. Photos by Dylan Chua/Red Sports.

Xavier Ng (Fairfield #13) looks to attack his opponent. He bagged a game-high 14 points in the game. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

Xavier Ng (Fairfield #13) looks to attack his opponent. He bagged a game-high 14 points in the game. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

OCBC Arena, Friday, February 19, 2016 — Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) out-dueled Fairfield Methodist School 64-42 in a clash of powerhouses to guarantee themselves a semi-final appearance in the South Zone B Division Basketball Championship.

With this victory, ACS (Barker) improve to 4-0 in the 2nd round. On the other hand, Fairfield dropped to 3-1 in round 2 and their semi-final hopes now hinges on their last match against Yuying who hold a similar record in the round.

ACS (Barker) had three players scoring in double digits, with Lavin (#10) scoring a game-high 14 points while Dinesh (#2) and Sherman (#11) contributed 11 points apiece. Xavier Ng Jun (#13) also scored a game-high 14 points to lead Fairfield in the scoring column.

Fairfield started the game with excellent defense as they prevented ACS (Barker) from completing entry passes into the low post where Lavin (ACS (Barker) #10) could take advantage of his superior height and size to score.

On offense, Fairfield were able to make their shots at a high percentage as fluid ball movement earned them easy open shots. At the end of the opening quarter, Fairfield held a four-point lead.

As the saying goes, “good offense beats good defense”, and Fairfield soon found themselves struggling to contain Lavin (ACS (Barker) #10), who scored seven of his 14 points in the second quarter. Fluid ball movement by ACS (Barker) got Lavin (#10) the ball in the low post and earned them easy points in the paint. Halfway through the quarter, Sherman (#11) cashed in a 3-pointer that gave ACS (Barker) a 17-14 lead.

However, Fairfield were able to pace ACS (Barker) offensively as they continued to make shots at a healthy percentage. At half-time, ACS (Barker) held a slim two point lead at 27-25.

After half-time, ACS (Barker) blew the game wide-open as they snuffed out Fairfield’s offense with a lock down defense, allowing Fairfield to score just five points in the third quarter. ACS (Barker) scored most of their points in the quarter on the break off Fairfield turnovers and long defensive rebounds. At the end of the third, ACS (Barker) led 45-30.

It was more of the same in the closing quarter, as ACS (Barker) outscored Fairfield 19-12 in the period to run away with a 64-42 victory, guaranteeing themselves top spot in Group P.

ACS (Barker) will next face Queenstown Secondary, while Fairfield will next play Yuying Secondary in a win-or-go-home showdown for both teams. Both matches will be held at the OCBC Arena on February 22.

Scoring by Quarter
ACS (Barker) vs Fairfield
1st Q: 8-12
2nd Q: 19-13 (27-25)
3rd Q: 18-5 (45-30)
4th Q: 19-12 (64-42)

Top Scorers
ACS (Barker)
Lavin (#10) – 14 points
Dinesh (#2) – 11 points
Sherman (#11) – 11 points

Fairfield
Xavier Ng Jun (#13) – 14 points
Timothy Har (#4) – 12 points

Fairfield Roster
Timothy Har (#4), Denzel Tan (#5), Leonard Tay (#6), Justin Lum (#7), Gordon Leong (#8), John Ang (#9), John Vanan (#10), Nicholas Leong (#11), Ryan Mok (#12), Xavier Ng Jun (#13), Leon Lai, Shengde (#15)

ACS (Barker) Roster
Dinesh (#2), Jerome (#6), Lavin (#10), Sherman (#11), Ruhan (#12), Yue Hent (#13), Jevin (#14), Wallace (#15), Sam Park (#22), Clifford (#27), Ram (#30)

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