A Division Basketball: Raffles Institution beat Dunman High 68-45 to enter final

Story by REDintern Stefanus Ian. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

Basketball Association of Singapore, Monday, May 16, 2011 — Raffles Institution (RI) booked themselves a berth in the A Division Basketball Championship final after easing past their semi-final opponents Dunman High School (DHS) 68-45.

After an energetic first quarter, RI were up by seven points. DHS continued to hang onto the game in the second quarter, limiting the margin to 11 points but after that it started slipping away from them as they trailed by 19 points going into the final 10 minutes.

Credit to their never-say-die attitude though, as they continued to battle hard despite eventually falling to defeat. They may have lost but they definitely showed that they were not there just to make up the numbers.

RI were eager to take the game by the scruff of the neck as they employed a full-court press strategy as early as the first quarter. Their explosive pace and swift passing was delightful to watch as they racked up more than a few fastbreak points with DHS struggling with their transition defense.

However, DHS kept up the pace with some impressive individual display by their #7, Issac Low. It was a case of RI’s sleek fast break offense against DHS clutch shooting, making it a very entertaining first quarter which ended with RI leading 15-8. Although RI were in with the lead, DHS seemed to be still in with a shout.

The turning point of the match came when Isaac Low (DHS #7) picked up his second foul very early in the second quarter, forcing the DHS coach to substitute him out. Deprived of their main attacking point man, DHS struggled to keep pace with the boys in green although Zhang Xi Meng (DHS #9) did his best to keep the difference in single digits for the most part of the second quarter.

Sensing that the game was slipping away from them, the DHS coach took a gamble by sending Isaac Low (#7) into the game again, to disastrous effect. Frustration was beginning to show among the DHS players and Issac Low (#7) could not stop himself from fouling a third time against RI #5’s missed three-pointer. The foul effectively ended his participation in the first half as RI continued to pull away.

As RI began to dominate proceedings, they rested two starters in the second quarter and took a 32-21 lead into the half-time break.

By the third quarter, RI were cruising to the final comfortably. Isaac Low (DHS #7) provided the impetus, scoring three consecutive baskets early on but DHS never really got going. After 30 minutes of play, the boys in white were trailing by close to 20 points and defeat was staring them right in the face when the score board showed RI leading 49-30 as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter.

A lesser team might have folded in the last quarter but not DHS. Knowing that they had nothing to lose, they decided that if they were to go out, they were going to do it in style.

Despite the big lead held by RI, the vocal supporters from both schools were treated to an exciting finish to the match as DHS mounted a late surge in a desperate attempt to keep the score respectable. The RI coach rested most of his starters in the last quarter and even played the last few minutes with just his bench players. In the last 10 minutes of the game, RI outscored DHS by just four points, the smallest margin of the four quarters.

Both teams traded buckets like their lives depended on it with the boys in white giving RI a taste of their own medicine when they deployed the full-court press against them. Each basket was more often than not matched by the other team.

The two plays that defined the fourth quarter was when Isaac Low (DHS #7), having raced the length of the court, executed an exquisite reverse layup which sent DHS supporters wild. Not to be outdone, the RI #3 instantly replied with two pump fakes, leaving two DHS players in his wake, before finishing the move with a difficult leaner just inside the paint to the delirium of the RI supporters.

It should have demoralized DHS but it seemed to strengthen their resolve. Isaac Low (DHS #7) hit a purple patch of form in the fourth, scoring an amazing 10 of his team’s 15 points in the last 10 minutes as he delivered a masterful offensive performance, displaying an impressive array of moves to the basket from reverse layups, floaters and finger rolls to the rapture of the DHS supporters. Some of the RI supporters were seen shaking their heads in disbelief.

The RI victory was well-deserved and perhaps to be expected, as both sides had met earlier in the first round with RI coming out victors then. But one cannot help but wonder what could have happened had Isaac Low (DHS #7) managed to keep himself out of foul trouble and had DHS thrown caution in the wind earlier on in the game. Despite being out for most of the second quarter, Isaac Low (DHS #7) still managed an impressive game-high 20 points. It could have been a very different game.

But Raffles will have to forget about this victory quickly as they look to topple the defending champions, Hwa Chong Institution, in the upcoming final this Friday, May 20th, at the Toa Payoh Indoor Stadium. It looks set to be a mouth-watering clash between the top two unbeaten A Division sides of the nation.

Match Statistics
RI 68 DHS 45
1st Q: 15-8
2nd Q: 17-13 (32-21)
3rd Q: 17-9 (49-30)
4th Q: 68-45

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