Story by REDintern Charles Lim. Photos by Dylan Chua/Red Sports.

Quek Jing Qian (CCH #10) rises for a shot in the lane. She scored six points against RGS. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

Quek Jing Qian (CCH #10) rises for a shot in the lane. She scored six points against RGS. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

OCBC Arena, Wednesday, March 21, 2018 — Chung Cheng High (Main) [CCH] put themselves at a 2–0 record with a 24–18 win against Raffles Girls’ School (RGS) in the Preliminary Round of the National B Division Basketball Championship.

Raffles started the game with a full-court man-to-man against Chung Cheng, but that did not deter Chung Cheng from picking up their offensive game as Jing Qian (CCH #10) opened up the lead with power plays in the paint and Jing Ting (CCH #15) extending the lead with a 3-pointer nearing the end of the quarter, putting Chung Cheng ahead of Raffles at 12–4.

May Shann (RGS #8) started Raffles’ scoreline in the second quarter with a 3-point shot, and Raffles gained momentum in the final minutes of the quarter, putting up a contest against Chung Cheng. Ying Xin (CCH #8) was responsible for Chung Cheng’s 4 out of 9 points in the second quarter, and that extended Chung Cheng’s lead slightly to 20-11 at the end of the second quarter.

It was an even contest in the third quarter of the match as both teams played stellar defence against each other and were also unable to convert points off their numerous turnovers. Nicole Tng (RGS #50) was solely responsible for all 4 points from Raffles in the third quarter.

The final quarter saw Chung Cheng commit numerous travelling violations, resulting in their reduced attempts at the basket. However, their solid defence kept Raffles in their place as they were only able to close the gap slightly, ending the quarter with Chung Cheng claiming victory over Raffles with a 24-18 win.

This loss meant the end of the season for Raffles, and Captain Cassandra Seah (RGS #5) had words for the team, “Thank you for the honour, we will always fight hard together. Dream team fight win!”

On the win, Captain Shannon Chong (CCH #12) reflected, “The team’s performance was quite stable, but there were poor decisions made as we were too rushed, and our transition defence did not stop their (Raffles Girls’) fast breaks.” She adds on to the team, “Let’s keep up the confidence and move on to the next match.”

Chung Cheng will move on to face the undefeated Singapore Chinese Girls’ School to determine the winners of Group Q, whereas Raffles will be going against Unity Secondary.

Scoring by Quarter
RGS vs CCH
1st Quarter:4-12
2nd Quarter: 7–8 (11-20)
3rd Quarter: 4-4 (15-24)
4th Quarter: 3–0 (18-24)

Top Scorers
Raffles Girls’ School
Nicole Tng (#50) – 6 points

Chung Cheng High (Main)
Shannon Chong Li Ting (#12) – 8 points
Quek Jing Qian (#10) – 6 points

Raffles Girls’ Roster
Ethel Tan (#3), Cassandra Seah (#5), Kaitlyn Cheong (#6), Loh May Shann (#8), Lwynn Ng (#11), Charmaine Ng (#12), Jamie Tan (#13), Natasha Sanghar (#17), Ong Zhen Ying (#22), Alesha Johannes (#23), Gladys Chua (#32), Nicole Tng (#50)

Chung Cheng High Roster
Ng Ruo Yin (#1), Lim Zhi Ying, Vernice (#2), Tham Hsin Ee, Esther (#3), Valencia Queck Shu Qing (#5), Seah Yok Sim (#6), Tan Si Min Shermin (#7), Lin Ying Xin (#8), Quek Jing Qian (#10), Lim Lin (#11), Shannon Chong Li Ting (#12), Quek Jing Ting (#15), Zhao Qian (#23)

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