Story by Chan Hua Zheng/Red Sports. Photos by Dylan Chua/Red Sports.

Xavier Ng (AJC #13) rises for a lay-up on his way to a 16-point performance.

Xavier Ng (AJC #13) rises for a lay-up on his way to a 16-point performance. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

Singapore Basketball Centre, Monday, April 30, 2018 — Anderson Junior College (AJC) cruised to a comfortable 64–37 victory over Catholic Junior College (CJC) in their second-round opener of the National A Division Basketball Championship.

AJC improves to a 1–0 win-loss record in Group Q of the second round while CJC falls to a 0–1 record.

AJC was led by a game-high 22 points from (AJC #25) while (AJC #13) added a 16-point performance. Luke Cheong (CJC #55) put up a valiant 15-point showing to lead CJC in the scoring column.

CJC grabbed a quick 5–2 lead with 8:06 remaining in the opening period after Jay Edward Goh (CJC #11) hit a tough fade-away jump-shot over the outstretched arms of his defender.

However, AJC responded with a 7–0 scoring run which included a ridiculous sequence where (AJC #13) cut backdoor for an alley-oop lay-up over the defence to grab a 9–5 lead with 5:06 remaining in the quarter.

The remainder of the first quarter proved to be a tightly contested affair as both teams traded baskets with one another. At the end of the quarter, AJC were able to pull ahead and grab a 21–16 lead.

The second quarter saw AJC play at an uptempo pace that involved quick ball movement and cuts off the ball to create scoring opportunities. CJC’s defence were unable to keep up with the speed of the AJC offence and conceded fast-break points throughout the quarter.

As a result, the second period was a lopsided one as AJC outscored CJC 23–6 to hold a comfortable 44–22 lead at half-time.

The third quarter saw CJC respond on the defensive end as they displayed discipline in their transition defence and were able to hold AJC to only seven points in the period.

However, CJC could not find their groove on offence as they struggled to convert shots and committed turnovers which cost them precious offensive possession. As a result, they were only able to add six points to their tally as they entered the final frame trailing 28–51.

Despite facing a 23-point deficit with the final quarter remaining, CJC continued to display stellar defence, hustling hard to grab defensive boards and contest shots.

However, their struggles continued on the offensive end as shots were not falling and at the final buzzer, CJC would fall to a 37–64 defeat to AJC.

CJC will next face off against Dunman High on Wednesday, 2 May. The match will tip-off at 4.30pm at the Singapore Basketball Centre.

On the other hand, AJC will play against Pioneer Junior College on Friday, 4 May at the Singapore Basketball Centre. Tip-off will be at 4.30 pm.

Scoring by Quarter
AJC vs CJC
1st Q: 21–16
2nd Q: 23–6 (44–22)
3rd Q: 7–6 (51–28)
4th Q: 13–9 (64–37)

Top Scorers
AJC
Ram Sunda Putra (#25) — 22 points
Xavier Ng (#13) — 16 points

CJC
Luke Cheong (#55) — 15 points

AJC Roster

CJC Roster
Kyler How (#0), Lenson Lim (#5), Denzel Koh (#6), Jay Edward Goh (#11), Lee Lian Zheng (#12), Glendon Goh (#18), Gordon Ngiam (#23), Darrel Ang (#32), Diwan Mohamed Ismail (#34), Luke Cheong (#55), Avner Tan (#79), Dev Panwar (#99)

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