Story and photos by Low Zheng Yu/Red Sports
Lloyd Ng (HCI #2) drives baseline for two. (Photo 1 © Low Zheng Yu/Red Sports)
Jurong East Sports Hall, Monday, May 22, 2017 — Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) rolled past Dunman High School (DHS) 53-26 in the semi-final of the National A Division Basketball Championship.
With this win, HCI are through to the final. They have a 6-2 win-loss record since round one. Their two losses came from Anderson Junior College (AJC) in round one and Nanyang Junior College in round two. HCI will play against AJC in the final and look to take the win in the rematch.
On the other hand, this loss gives DHS a 5-4 win-loss record since their round one games. They will fight for third against Pioneer Junior College who topped the group DHS was in during round one.
With the final on the line, both teams came to play. They were aggressive in their plays and neither side were about to give in to the other. As they traded baskets, they fought to a tie at 10 points each after the first quarter.
While it was hard to tell who would emerge victorious from the first quarter, HCI took their game up a notch in the second quarter to erase any chances DHS might have against them. Vernen Lim (HCI #35) knocked down a three for HCI to start the second quarter as HCI went on a 9-0 run to jump ahead.
Despite the DHS efforts to go on the offense, HCI played lock-down defense on them to force several turnovers. HCI capitalized on their transition offense to farther increase their lead. HCI outscored DHS 21-5 in the second quarter to secure a 16-point lead.
In the third, DHS managed to up their defensive intensity to contain the HCI offense. However, the defense of HCI continued to suffocate and force DHS to commit several turnovers. Even when there were open shots, the HCI defense had already affected the shooting rhythm of the DHS players which caused these wide open shots to miss as well.
With no answer for the stifling HCI defense, HCI continued to increase their lead. HCI went on to take the game 53-26 and advanced to the final to play against AJC.
HCI captain, Brandon Wu (HCI #9), commented, “We feel a sense of accomplishment as we have worked very hard to get to where we are today. It is definitely good to see that our hard work paid off. Despite that, we also cannot be complacent as both AJC and PJC are strong opponents no matter who advances. So we cannot take things lightly and must work hard from now till the final and tidy up on our defense.”
Scoring by Quarter
HCI vs DHS
1st Q: 10-10
2nd Q: 21-05 (31-15)
3rd Q: 10-06 (41-21)
4th Q: 12-05 (53-26)
Top Scorers
HCI
Vernen Lim (#35) – 14 pts
Lloyd Ng (#2) – 12 pts
Keith Png (#17) – 12 pts
DHS
Max Tan (#13) – 8 pts
HCI Roster
Travis Thong (#0), Wei Yongxi (#1), Lloyd Ng (#2), Chua Qiwei (#4), Brandon Wu (#9), Sheng Kiat (#10), Shaune Ang (#11), Shengwei (#13), Lee Yue Han (#15), Keith Png (#17), Greg G Tan (#32), Vernen Lim (#35), Ray (#54), Kenneth Koh (#69), Cheah Yan (#91)
DHS Roster
Zhong Xinyu (#4), Erh Zhi Hong (#5), Irvin Seet (#6), Low Qi Xiang (#7), Nicholas Ho (#8), Johnny Lee (#9), Eldrick Goh (#10), Gregory Teo (#11), Tan Yan Zhou (#12), Max Tan (#13), Chan Ray (#14), Tan Zheng (#15)
More photos next page
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