Story by REDintern Samantha Yom. Photos by Dylan Chua/Red Sports.

Yang Shixuan (NYG #12) rises for a lay-up. She finished with a game-high 10-point in the victory. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

Yang Shixuan (NYG #12) rises for a lay-up. She finished with a game-high 10-point in the victory. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

OCBC Arena, Monday, March 19, 2018 — West Zone champions Nanyang Girls’ High School (NYG) once again established their dominance on the court with a 36–18 triumph over Dunman Secondary (DSS) in the preliminary round of the National B Division Girls’ Basketball Championship.

Nanyang Girls’ qualified for the nationals as the top seed of their zone, after a thrilling final against Jurong Secondary. Meanwhile, Dunman finished fourth in the East Zone, having fallen to Ngee Ann Secondary in their 3rd/4th placing match.

“We aren’t that strong a team, compared to Nanyang who are champions of their zone, but went all out in this match anyway,” said Dunman’s captain Nur Afrina (DSS #5), herself the team’s top scorer with nine points.

She added: “It didn’t matter if we won or lost, so long as we played well it’s a good game for us.”

Unfortunately, Dunman seemed to have started off on the wrong foot, committing a shooting foul against Nanyang Girls’ just moments into the game. However, Yang Shixuan (NYG #12), whose game-winning free throw had led Nanyang Girls’ to the West Zone title, failed to capitalise on the opportunity to give her team an early lead.

Although they had initially suffered from poor passing and shooting, it was clear that Dunman was leaving it all on the court, as their sturdy defence in the paint made it difficult for their opponents to drive to the basket.

By the end of the first quarter, Nanyang Girls’ had a considerable eight-point lead (10–2) over Dunman, mostly thanks to Goh Kung Huang’s (NYG #15) sharp shooting. It came as little surprise that Kung Huang (NYG #15) emerged as Nanyang Girls’ second-highest scorer, especially after she managed to sink all four of her free throws and capped the first quarter with another two-pointer.

Dunman maintained their defence in the second quarter but were met with strengthened defence by Nanyang Girls’ – something they had been mastering during their training sessions.

“We have been focussing more on defence recently because it is the main aspect of basketball since you need to block your opponents’ shots,” explained Nanyang Girls’ captain Shixuan (NYG #12). “We also worked on better accuracy for our shots.”

Their training certainly paid off, with Nanyang Girls’ scoring 13 consecutive points, right after Dunman’s Putri Nurzhafira’s (DSS #9) sank a field goal early in the third quarter. Shixuan (NYG #12) maintained her impressive form, contributing seven of those 13 points.

Dunman’s struggle with making the basket only meant that Nanyang Girls’ were allowed to further extend their lead to close the third quarter with a score of 13–5.

Nanyang Girls’ had a rather disappointing fourth quarter though, scoring only four points in total. Dunman were plagued by missed passes and a dwindling defence to add just five points to their score by the final buzzer.

“We struggled with our defence because we let a lot of Nanyang’s balls through and our passing was not very accurate either,” recounted captain Nur Afrina (DSS #5).

Despite their loss, Nur Afrina (DSS #5) still held high hopes for her team.

“We are going to try to win the next match and get into the Top 8. After that, we hope to slowly work our way into the Top 4.”

On the other hand, Nanyang Girls’ acknowledged their lacklustre performance but were clear about their goal for the nationals.

Captain Shixuan (NYG #12) revealed: “Our energy wasn’t that high because it was our first match of the nationals, but we will do better next match. Our team goal is to get into the final and it would be even better if we go on to win the championship.”

Nanyang Girls’ will go on to play Yishun Town Secondary, while Dunman will face Guangyang Secondary in their next match. Both matches will be held on Wednesday, March 21 at OCBC Arena Hall 1.

Scoring by Quarter
NYG vs DSS
1st Quarter: 10–2
2nd Quarter: 9–6 (19–8)
3rd Quarter: 13–5 (32–13)
4th Quarter: 4–5 (36–18)

Top Scorers
NYG
Yang Shixuan (#12) – 10 points
Goh Kung Huang (#15) – 8 points

DSS
Nur Afrina (#5) – 9 points

NYG Roster
Goh Wing Xuan (#5), Lee Ying Ying, Pamela (#7), Goh Cheng Gek Jade Lenor (#8), Li Silin (#11), Yang Shixuan (#12), Goh Kung Huang (#15), Rachel Teo Hui Ling (#31), Low Ying Hui (#32), Chua Su-Ann Shu En (#33), Emi Chow Yu Tong (#34), Michelle Heng Qian Ying (#35), Zann Siow Jun Hui (#37)

DSS Roster
Sally Poh (#4), Nur Afrina (#5), Jess Poh (#7), Charlene Tan (#8), Putri Nurzhafira (#9), Nadiah Ardini (#10), Hasnita (#11), Tang Theresa Santos (#13), Nur Qistina (#14), Haseenah Ariffin (#15)

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