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

Chua Qi Wei (HCI #4) pulls up for a jumper. The HCI guard scored a game-high 14 points to drive his team to victory. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

Chua Qi Wei (HCI #4) pulls up for a jumper. The HCI guard scored a game-high 14 points to drive his team to victory. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

Singapore Basketball Centre, Friday, May 4, 2018 — Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) flipped the switch on the defensive end in the second period and never looked back as they overpowered Raffles Institution (RI) 46–24 in the second round of the National A Division Basketball Championship.

With this win, Hwa Chong improved to a perfect 3–0 win-loss record in Group P, while Raffles fell to a 1–1 record.

Hwa Chong was led by a game-high 14 point performance from Chua Qi Wei (HCI #4), while Raffles was led by Bryan Teo (RI #77) in the scoring column with 7 points.

The first quarter was a low scoring affair as both sides played tight defence to force the opposing offence into taking tough, low percentage shots while disrupting the rhythm of the opposing offence.

With Chua Qi Wei (HCI #4) scoring 7 of his game-high 14 points in the opening quarter, including a tough hanging jump-shot over the outstretched arms of his defender, Hwa Chong was able to end the quarter with a 10–6 lead.

The second quarter saw Hwa Chong flip the switch on the defensive end, swarming Raffles with double-teams that led to turnovers off the dribble and bad passes.

Raffles struggled over the course of the quarter, as they struggled to run their plays on offence and often had to resort to one-on-one isolation plays that often led to tough contested shots.

Hwa Chong would seize the flow of the game as they outscored Raffles 19–7 in the period to build a whopping 29–13 lead at half-time.

After half-time, Raffles responded by locking up on the defensive end and protecting the defensive boards. This limited Hwa Chong to only scoring 9 points in the quarter.

However, Raffles continued to struggle offensively as they were unable to convert their shots, producing only 5 points in the quarter.

Raffles continued to shine on the defensive end in the final quarter, as they limited Hwa Chong to only 8 points in the quarter by forcing them into tough shots.

However, Raffles were unable to overcome their struggles on offence, as turnovers and missed shots often led to empty offensive possessions.

At the final buzzer, Hwa Chong would walk off with a convincing 46–24 victory over Raffles.

Raffles would next face Temasek Junior College on May 7, while Hwa Chong would play against Nanyang Junior College on May 9. Both matches will tip-off at 3.15 at the Singapore Basketball Centre.

Scoring by Quarter
HCI v RI
1st Q: 10–6
2nd Q: 19–7 (29–13)
3rd Q: 9–5 (38–18)
4th Q: 8–6 (46–24)

Leading Scorers
HCI
Chua Qi Wei (#4) — 14 points

RI
Bryan Teo (#77) — 7 points

HCI Roster
Ondre Tann (#2), Lin Yuan Xun (#3), Chua Qi Wei (#4), Travis Thong (#6), Kenneth Koh (#7), Chong Ke-Ming (#8), Wei Yong Xi (#10), Guan Xiao (#12), Shin Dong Hun (#18), Yan Wei Dong (#21), Kuan Jian Rong (#27), Vernen Lim (#35)

RI Roster
Kevin Jung (#2), Jack William (#4), Leonard Tay (#6), Joshua Lim (#7), Brandon Ngiam (#8), Chua Kai Xuan (#9), Reuben Yang (#11), Jethro Kwong (#15), Zhou Ziheng (#20), Chen Bin Li (#23), Adam Harith (#30), Bryan Teo (#77)

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