Story and photos by Low Zheng Yu/Red Sports
Gan Qing Yang (MJC #8) brings the ball up the court. He had a game-high 17 points. (Photo 1 © Low Zheng Yu/Red Sports)
OCBC Arena, Wednesday, April 19, 2017 — Meridian Junior College (MJC) came from behind to defeat National Junior College (NJC) 48-42 in the National A Division Basketball Championship.
With this win, MJC have a 3-1 win-loss record and are second in group B. They have won against River Valley High School (RVHS) and Tampines Junior College (TPJC) and lost to Dunman High School (DHS) previously. They will play against first place Pioneer Junior College (PJC) next and look to win to take first of group B.
On the other hand, this game gives NJC a 2-2 win-loss record. They have won against DHS and TPJC but lost to PJC previously. They will be up against RVHS next.
NJC got off to a good start. They played well on the defensive end to stop MJC’s offense while they capitalized on the turnovers they forced to score on the transition offense. NJC outscored MJC 17-9 in the first quarter.
NJC continued to play well on both defensive and offensive ends of the floor. They were able to stay ahead with a comfortable lead throughout the game. Their largest lead of the game was 10 about halfway into the third quarter.
Despite lagging behind throughout the game, MJC did not give up. They kept fighting to keep the game within striking distance. With about a minute and a half to play in the third, Gan Qing Yang (MJC #8) of MJC made a basket plus the foul. He went on to complete the three point play to cut the lead to seven. But NJC’s Chiew Kok Seng (NJC #24) hustled and made a basket to end the third and led 35-26.
MJC did not let that bother them and started the fourth with a basket and one by Jarrett Yip (MJC #7). He missed the free throw but MJC were able to hustle for the offensive put-back to cut the lead to five. MJC also upped their defensive intensity and got several defensive stops. They got a steal and made the transition basket to cut the lead farther to three.
On the ensuing play, Gan Qing Yang (MJC #8) made a good play with the back door cut to get the easy basket to cut the lead down to two. With another good defense leading to offense, MJC were able to tie the game at 36. This caused NJC to panic and they crumbled under the pressure. They fouled Jiam Tzi Yu (MJC #11) which sent him to the free-throw line. He made two clutch free-throws to give MJC the lead.
This boosted the morale of the MJC players as they played on harder and went on an 8-0 run. While NJC tried to chase back, they could not hit their shots due to good defense by MJC. MJC eventually took down NJC 48-42 with their comeback victory.
MJC captain, Sim Jia Ming (MJC #9), commented, “It was a classic comeback win, everyone on the court didn’t give up and fought hard. We motivated each other on the court and it can be seen on the court. Our fighting spirit was there, no one gave up even though we were down about 10 points. We fought hard until the turning point. The atmosphere was very good and the bench was awesome, cheering for those playing. It definitely feels fantastic taking this game.”
“NJC have very good full court pressure defense, but we were able to hold our composure. First few quarters, we were a bit too rushed which led to a significant number of turnovers. But, after the second half, especially in the fourth, we managed to calm down and pick up our own pace instead of playing to their pace. That’s how we managed to get the comeback.”
Scoring by Quarter
MJC vs NJC
1st Q: 09-17
2nd Q: 11-08 (20-25)
3rd Q: 06-10 (26-35)
4th Q: 22-07 (48-42)
Top Scorers
MJC
Gan Qing Yang (#8) – 17 pts
Jarrett Yip (#7) – 11 pts
NJC
Jonathan Gan Jing Heng (#72) – 11 pts
Nicholas Gao Lu Xin (#2) – 10 pts
MJC Roster
Shaun Lee (#1), Kiren Teo (#2), Nathanael Tan (#3), Teng Wei Jie (#5), Jarrett Yip (#7), Gan Qing Yang (#8), Sim Jia Ming (#9), Jiam Tzi Yu (#11), Aaron Ho (#14), Gabriel Tan (#20), Chim Chee Yong (#26), Ashraf Khan (#69)
NJC Roster
Nicholas Gao Lu Xin (#2), Seow Wei Xuan (#3), Tan Peng Yu (#4), Janson Tan Jeung Yong (#5), Marcus Wee Cheng Keat (#6), Carl Mathew Muttom (#7), Ian Tay Wei Han (#10), Lu Guan Yu (#11), Aviral Agarwal (#16), Chiew Kok Seng (#24), Ng Kai Bin (#26), Jonathan Gan Jing Heng (#72)
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