Golds suffer second successive buzzer beater heartbreak in adidas Nations Basketball League

By Ian Chew

Catholic High School, Saturday, February 14, 2009 – You wouldn’t bet on it in a casino game, but it happened for a second successive game to the Golds team!

Looking to secure a hard-fought win with 12 seconds left on the clock, the Golds team contrived instead to turn the ball over and look on in disbelief as Blacks’ point guard Julian Low drained a game-tying 3-point shot at the buzzer!

The Blacks then strode ahead for a convincing 72-69 win against a deflated Golds team in extra time.

Golds coach Ong Yao Kwang bemoaned his team’s bad luck in both matches.

“Sometimes you need a little luck to win matches but unfortunately, it did not happen for us. Yet I am proud of our boys’ effort in coming back against the Blacks in the fourth quarter. They definitely deserved the extra time of play!” he exclaimed.

Indeed the Golds team deserved the credit for the way they fought back from a 38-51 third quarter deficit.

Courageous shooting from guard Raymond Chong (#1) and forward Tan Hong Kwang (#58) in the fourth quarter enabled the Golds team to claw back into contention against a dominant Blacks team. But Guard Royson Quek (#25) then made a huge impact as a substitute in the final minutes to score five unanswered points for the Blacks.

Golds looked odds on favourites for the win until Blacks Julian Low popped up with his late game heroics.

“I actually lost my balance in the last play (of regulation time) and was trying to score against the board. I’m glad it went in!” explained a relieved Julian after the game.

Yet he denied that his top scoring 16-point effort for his team was the crucial factor.

“We won the game as our forwards managed to grab the key rebounds,” said Julian, also a member of the Victoria Junior College basketball team.

He was right.

No other team in the adidas league enjoys the privilege of substituting one centre for another like the Blacks. Their formidable foursome of Ang Wei Xian (#42), Koh Chee Siang (#50), Scott Driscoll (#39) and Aw Jun Xian (#48), each capable of both scoring and rebounding, amply displayed their strength in the forwards position.

These players, together with an in-form Adam Goh (#7) of Dunman Secondary, enabled the Blacks to cruise to a 20-8 lead at the first quarter and a huge 39-24 lead at the half.

The Golds displayed their fighting spirit to level the game in the second half but it was to no avail.

The final game will feature both unbeaten Whites and Blacks teams in action next Saturday at 2.30pm. Fans can look forward to the game between Reds and Golds at 1pm and a 3-point shootout contest at 10.30am in the Catholic High School hall. More details will be revealed soon!

Scoring by Quarters
1st Q: Blacks 20 Golds 8
2nd Q: Blacks 19 Golds 16
3rd Q: Golds 14 Blacks 11
4th Q: Golds 24 Blacks 11
1st over time: Blacks 10 Golds 7

Top Scorers
Blacks
Julian Low (#21) – 16 pts
Macus Yap (#18) – 10 pts
Aw Jun Xian (#48) – 10 pts

Golds
Raymond Chong (#1) – 18 pts
Joshua Neo (#30) – 15 pts
Toh Hong Da (#15) – 13 pts

Player Statistics

Whites 76 Golds 74 – Player Statistics