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

(NYJC #10) on a drive to the basket. She scored a game-high 16 points. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

(NYJC #10) on a drive to the basket. She scored a game-high 16 points. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

Singapore Basketball Centre, Monday, May 7, 2018 — Nanyang Junior College (NYJC) displayed a dominant performance in the second half to secure a convincing 43–14 victory over River Valley High School (RVHS) in the second round of the National A Division Girls’ Basketball Championship.

NYJC improved to a 2–0 win-loss record in Group X while RVHS found themselves eliminated in the running for a semi-finals berth after falling to a 0–2 record.

Jermaine Lim (NYJC #10) led NYJC in the scoring column with a game-high 16 points while Annabel Chua (NYJC #8) added 9 points. On the other hand, Gabbie Er (#14) led RVHS with 4 points.

The first 2 minutes and 55 seconds of the match saw both sides held scoreless. Both sides played solid defense that denied the opposing offense open looks at the basket while forcing turnovers by cutting off passing lanes.

Claudia Tan (NYJC #14) broke the deadlock after scoring a put-back basket off an offensive rebound with 7:55 left. However, RVHS would procced to grab a 4–2 lead with 5:26 left after Petra Ng (RVHS #7) converted a driving lay-up through the defense.

A catch-and-shoot three from Annabel Chua (NYJC #8) with 4:58 on the clock would ignite a 7–1 scoring blitz by NYJC over the remainder of the quarter, giving NYJC a 9–5 advantage heading into the second quarter.

RVHS would struggle on offense in the opening minutes of the second quarter, as they found their drving lanes cut off by the NYJC defense and had to settle for difficult shots around the perimeter.

On the other hand, NYJC fed the ball into the low post in their half-court offense, creating scoring opportunities in the paint and open shots around the perimeter when the defense collapsed into the paint. NYJC would go on a 8–0 run after Jermaine Lim (NYJC #10) swished a pull up jumper with 4:47 left, grabbing a 17–5 lead.

Towards the end of the quarter, RVHS eventually found their groove on offense as they relentlessly attacked the paint for scoring opportunities and drew fouls for points off free-throws.

A fast-break lay-up from Gabbie Er (RVHS #4) with 14.4 seconds left would cap-off a 6–0 run by RVHS to keep NYJC within their sights with a 11–17 deficit at half time.

However, the second half would turn out to be the opposite of what was a closely contested first half.

NYJC displayed a swarming defense that stifled RVHS’ offense, forcing RVHS into a series of turnovers that led to easy fast-break points.

NYJC would proceed to hold RVHS to just 3 points in the entire second half while piling on another 26 points to their own total to roll past RVHS with a 43–14 victory.

NYJC will play their final Group X match against Hwa Chong Institution at 12.45 pm on May 9 at the Singapore Basketball Centre, while RVHS will play their season-concluding match against Victoria Junior College at 2.00 pm on May 9 at the Singapore Basketball Centre.

Scoring by Quarter
Nanyang Junior College v River Valley High
1st Q: 9–5
2nd Q: 8–6 (17–11)
3rd Q: 8–1 (25–12)
4th Q: 18–2 (43–14)

Leading Scorers
Nanyang Junior College
Jermaine Lim (#10) — 16 points
Annabel Chua (#8) — 9 points

River Valley High
Gabbie Er (#14) – 4 points

Nanyang Junior College Roster
Natrecia Tsai Yijie (#0), Lynn Tan En Ting (#1), Yeo Ding Xin (#2), Guan Mingxia (#5), Annabel Chua (#8), Jesica Cahyadi (#9), Jermaine Lim Jia Ying (#10), Joelle Thng (#11), Elke Goh Yuan Chyi (#12), Nicole Tung Xin Yin (#13), Claudia Tan Xin Yun (#14), Ashwini Naidu (#22)

River Valley Roster
Ting Yi Xuan (#4), Teo Sze Jia (#5), Yeo Si Min (#6), Petra Ng Jia Yu (#7), Yuan Hai Shu (#8), Wang Shitong (#9), Loh Mei Ling (#10), Lim Juey Ngya (#11), Judy Huang (#12), Sarah Peh (#13), Gabbie Er Kian Ching (#14), Teo Hui Sin Megan (#15)

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