By Tay Jun Wen/Red Sports
Maisarah (#7) of Unity challenges Leo Swee Tze (#9) of New Town for the ball as the crowd of supporters from both schools look on. Unity won the game 64-48 to bring home their third zonal title in the last four years. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Jurong East Sports Hall, Tuesday, March 12, 2013 – Unity Secondary defeated New Town Secondary 64–48 to win the West Zone B Division Girls’ Basketball Championship final. For Unity, who lost the 2012 final to Nanyang Girls’ High, this is their third zonal title in the last four years.
Unity Secondary’s captain, Au Zi Yu (#9), ended with a game-high of 23 points. She was also crowned the Most Valued Player (MVP) for today’s game. Zi Yu said: “I’m happy to be MVP. I was hopeful about it.”
Chua Mei Ling (#8) of New Town had a team-high of 13 points. Both Mei Ling and Zi Yu scored three 3-pointers each.
In the first quarter, Unity had the upper hand with their sharp shooting. Even with physically intimidating New Town players such as Jody Ng (#13), Amanda Ng (#14) and Carine Lim (#15), Unity were still able to score three 3-pointers through Zi Yu, Chia Siu Wei (#11) and Musrifah Fadzlia Bte Masiran (#12). This helped Unity establish a 10-point 21–11 lead after the first quarter.
The second quarter only saw Unity picking up their pace even more and giving New Town a hard time. Unity were also able to close down quickly and were generally accurate with their shots.
Zi Yu said: “We had an impressive start for us.”
Unity outscored New Town 20–10 in the second quarter to head into half-time with a 20-point, 41–21 lead.
After halftime, New Town pulled themselves together and started to fumble the ball less. New Town captain, Noelle Ng (#6), had multiple quick breaks which allowed her team to reduce the points difference. Noelle and Mei Ling both scored a 3-pointer each in that quarter.
The third quarter ended with New Town gaining 16 points while Unity bagged only 12. This cut the 20-point Unity lead down to 16 at 37–53.
Noelle said: “We put up a good fight. We did well on our rebounds and fast breaks.”
The situation did not improve for Unity in the final quarter as they were not finishing as well as they did in the first half. However, New Town were unable to capitalise on their opponents’ mistakes. It was an even quarter with both teams adding 11 points each to their score, allowing Unity to win the game 64–48.
“They (New Town Secondary) worked hard. We did not have a steady finish. I feel that we need to improve and fight hard for all the quarters,” said Zi Yu, Unity’s captain.
Looking on the brighter side, New Town captain, Noelle, said: “Through this competition, we have gained confidence as a team.”
This is the first time that New Town have made it into the final of the West Zone B Division Basketball Championship.
Score by Quarter
New Town vs Unity
1st Q: 11–21
2nd Q: 10–20 (21–41)
3rd Q: 16–12 (37–53)
4th Q: 11–11 (48–64)
Top Scorers
New Town
Chua Mei Ling (#8) – 13 points
Amanda Ng Guang Lyn (#14) – 10 points
Unity
Au Zi Yu (#9) – 23 points
Lim Xiang Xuan (#13) – 12 points
New Town Roster
Nichole Tan Wan Qian (#4), Grace Wong (#5), Noelle Ng Wan Jing (#6), Poh Nicole (#7), Chua Mei Ling (#8), Leo Swee Tze (#9), Tricia Yeo (#10), Regina Chua Pei Jun (#11), Amanda Lur Jia Yi (#12), Jody Ng Jin Yi (#13), Amanda Ng Guang Lyn (#14), Carine Lim (#15)
Unity Roster
Yeo Ci Yuan Rachel (#4), Priscilla Wong Ting Hui (#5), Lee Jia Yi (#6), Maisarah Bte Mohammad Sauki (#7), Eliya Sabrina Bte Suhaimi (#8), Au Zi Yu (#9), Cheryl Ong Ying Qi (#10), Chia Siu Wei (#11), Musrifah Fadzlia Bte Masiran (#12), Lim Xiang Xuan (#13), Ng Xin Yi (#14), Torralba Jessah Marie Rara (#15)
2013 West Zone B Division Girls’ Basketball Championship — fixtures and results
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