Story by REDintern Samantha Yom. Photos by Dylan Chua/Red Sports.
Goh Kung Huang (NYG #15) elevates for a lay-up. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)
OCBC Arena, Monday, April 4, 2018 — There are days when you give it your best and it just is not quite enough. It feels awful and it makes defeat that much harder to swallow. But it happens to every team and every athlete.
After going down 13–27 to Nanyang Girls’ High School (NYGH) in their last Quarter Final match of the National B Division Girls Basketball Championship, it seemed as though Chung Cheng High School (Main) [CCHMS] were left with that very dreariness in their hearts.
Their shots were simply not making the hoop.
“We were ready to face Nanyang as a strong opponent and we had the mindset (going into the match). We executed things well, but the ball just wasn’t going in for us,” shared captain Lim Zhi Ying, Vernice (CCHMS #2).
Having failed to qualify for the Semi-Finals, her team was visibly downcast. After all, as their coach commented, “No one feels happy about losing.”
Yet, Chung Cheng really ought to walk away from this Nationals with their heads held high, for they have certainly come far for a team that mostly had zero sporting experience when they first entered the CCA.
Veronica (CCHMS #2) explained, “Most of my teammates have no sports background (before they picked up basketball), but they still put in a lot of effort because they believe that as long as they did so, they can still achieve the results they desire.”
Chung Cheng initially appeared to be off to a good start, though, with Nanyang struggling to get past the 2-3 zone defence. Vernice (CCHMS #2) then went on to make a lay-up for her side.
However, that would eventually become Chung Cheng’s only basket for the entire quarter, as they struggled to make their shots. Nanyang, on the other hand, opted for a full-court press, which allowed them to force turnovers in their favour and gave them a much greater possession of the ball.
A buzzer-beater by Goh Kung Huang (NYGH #15) wrapped up the first period with a scoreline of 10–2.
The second quarter saw Chung Cheng find much difficulty driving to the basket as a result of Nanyang’s sturdy defence in the paint and responded with equally strong defence against the girls in blue, even forcing a shot-clock violation on their opponents.
That was not enough to stop Nanyang as they continued to stretch their lead with the help of Rachel Teo Hui Ling (NYGH #31) and Michelle Heng Qian Ying (NYGH #35), who scored a trey each. Michelle (NYGH #35), with a total of nine points to her name, went on to become the game’s top scorer.
The match went into half-time with a scoreline of 18–6.
Nanyang’s Li Silin (NYGH #11) added another three-pointer to start off the third period. This was then replicated by Chung Cheng’s top-scorer Quek Jing Ting (CCHMS #15) later in the quarter, which ultimately saw Nanyang further add to their double-digit cushion.
The teams went into the final quarter with a scoreline of 11–27 – one that did not change until the last moments of the quarter. Both sides had remained scoreless until Chung Cheng’s Seah Yok Sim (CCHMS #6) sunk a field goal with 20 second to the final buzzer. It was clear that the strong defence demonstrated by both sides meant they both found great challenge in making the basket.
The match ended with a scoreline of 13–27.
Despite their somewhat lacklustre performance in the final period, Goh Cheng Gek Jade Lenor (NYGH #8), a senior on the team, felt that her team’s overall performance was commendable.
“We started off quite well and then were consistent throughout. We did very well in our offensive rebounds and managed to keep the ball in possession,” she recounted.
As for Nanyang, their season is far from over as their strong performance in the past week has booked them a berth in the Semi-Finals. And at this stage of the competition, it takes more than just perfecting the game on court to win.
Jade (NYGH #8) added, “Not only do you need to be mentally strong, your body has to be able to pull through everything, so recovery and rest is very important.”
But perhaps next time, take your post-match recovery meal elsewhere – at least not right beside the still emotional team you just defeated.
Scoring by Quarter
CCHMS vs NYGH
1st Quarter: 2–10
2nd Quarter: 4–8 (6–18)
3rd Quarter: 5–9 (11–27)
4th Quarter: 2–0 (13–27)
Top Scorers
CCHMS
Quek Jing Ting (#15) – 3 points
NYGH
Michelle Heng Qian Ying (#35) – 9 points
CCHMS 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)
NYGH 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)
More photos next page
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