By REDintern Khairulnizam
Sia Wei Hng (#8) of Jurong lays up against Darryl Lee (#13) of Unity. Darryl had a game-high 16 points as Unity beat Jurong for the fourth time in a row to win the West Zone title. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Jurong East Sports Hall, Tuesday, March 12, 2013 — Unity Secondary dominated from the start to beat Jurong Secondary 78–57 in the final of the West Zone B Division Boys’ Basketball Championship. This was Unity’s fourth straight zonal title over the same opponents in as many years.
Darryl Lee (#13) of Unity had a game-high 16 points while Hanhs Christian Pinero (#9) had a team-high 15 for Jurong.
Unity pulled away from the start as Jurong become frustrated and started to commit mistakes. Hanhs Christian stood out for Jurong in the first quarter as an effective blocker against Unity’s attacks but that did not stop Unity from being in a commanding 23–12 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Jurong came out from the break a more energized side and started to work on closing the gap with Unity. Within the first four minutes, Jurong were able to reduce the deficit to five points at 18-23, forcing Unity to call a timeout. However, as the quarter progressed, they were unable to finish accurately despite good penetration, and trailed 18–43 heading into half time.
The biggest Unity lead of 31 points (53–22) came halfway through the third quarter and the defending champions were settled into a comfortable rhythm by this point.
However, the mood changed in the final quarter as Jurong came out of their huddle hungry for a comeback. They picked up their game and within two minutes, had scored nine points. At the midway mark of the third quarter, Unity were leading by 25 (67–42). Jurong continued their onslaught, coming as close 11 points (54–65) with 1:30 left but the Unity lead proved to be too big to overcome.
Sim Jia Hao (#7), the Jurong captain, said: “It was a challenging game. They gave us a tough fight. Our accuracy of shots was not very good, but all in all I felt both teams played well. Just that Unity Sec showed that they were more determined and more hardworking on the court today.”
When asked on his team’s chances for Nationals, he replied: “If we keep this standard up, I’m sure we’ll be able to beat a lot of teams.”
“We will be working on our defence and our accuracy of shots especially to be ready,” Jia Hao added.
Jason Ong (#10) the Unity captain, was proud of his team.
“It was a great match and I’m proud of my team. We played to our fullest today!” said the beaming captain.
“Our opponents were great and I thought they played very well too,” added Jason.
Of his team’s chances this year in the Nationals, Jason said: “Our first aim is to get to the top four. Once we achieve that, our next aim would be to enter the final at the least.”
The MVP for the game today was Darryl Lee (#13) of Unity.
“I hope to contribute more to the team and keep getting better!” he said. “Defend well and we can win the championship.”
New Town Secondary beat Dunearn Secondary 73–42 to finish third. New Town and Dunearn will move on with Unity and Jurong into the National B Division Championship. The top four of each zone qualify for the Nationals.
Score by Quarter
Jurong vs Unity
1st Quarter: 12–23
2nd Quarter: 6–20 (18–43)
3rd Quarter: 15–15 (33–58)
Final Score: 24–20 (57–78)
Top Scorers
Unity
Darryl Lee (#13) – 16 points
Jurong
Hanhs Christian Pinero (#9) – 15 points
Jurong Roster
Eugene Yeong (#4), Edwin Lee (#5), Lee Jia Hui (#6), Sim Jia Hao (#7), Sia Wei Hng (#8), Hanhs Christian Pinero Ubanan (#9), Marcus Chua (#10), Jason Chua (#11), Chongyih Xuan (#12), Loke Yong Lum (#13), Mao Yuxian (#14), Tan Aik (#15)
Unity Roster
Foo Jun Lin (#4), Jacinth Figuero Aban (#5), Foo Jun Jie (#6), Alvin Yuen (#7), Lee Ko Vic Ariel Nestor (#8), Pay Xuan Ju (#9), Jason Ong (#10), Lim Chu Ming (#11), Lim Jin Kai (#12), Darryl Lee (#13), Johnson Yeoh (#14), Shaun Ang (#15)
2013 West Zone B Division Boys’ Basketball Championship — fixtures and results
More photos next page
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