Story By REDintern Zachary Foo. Photos by REDintern Sasha Christian
James Lee (Bukit Merah #13) steals the ball and goes for the fast break. He had a game-high 12 points in the loss. (Photo 1 © REDintern Sasha Christian)
PESEB Court 2, Friday, July 12, 2013 — Mayflower Secondary survived two comebacks by Bukit Merah Secondary to win 46–43 in overtime in the South Zone C Division Basketball Championship. Jordan Lee (#7) was the hero in overtime as his successful three-point play broke the deadlock, giving Mayflower a one-point lead with 11 seconds left. Mayflower earns its first win in Group D, while Bukit Merah fall into a tie with Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) in the same group.
The match was a highly intensive affair, where both teams displayed suffocating defence, and exchanged leads multiple times. The first two quarters was a battle of attrition as both teams were unable to find a way to break the deadlock. Mayflower tried to get their offence going, rotating the ball around the perimeter to find an open man down low. However, they were not able to convert their attempts, keeping Bukit Merah close as they went into the second half tied 15–15.
Mayflower flipped the switch in the third quarter, making steals and converting on fast breaks. After conceding two early baskets to Bukit Merah, Mayflower rattled off 14 consecutive points while holding Bukit Merah scoreless in the final eight minutes of the quarter. Mayflower led 29–19 at the end of the third.
In the fourth quarter, Bukit Merah seemed unfazed against Mayflower’s half court defensive press and displayed a tenacity that will serve them well in future games. They made multiple defensive stops and utilized extremely good ball movement on offence to chip away at Mayflower’s lead. Nicholas Soh (#12) shouldered the scoring load for his team and displayed relentless pressure on defense.
Not to be outdone, Mayflower’s duo of Melvin Ng (#5) and Jason Chan (#9) were also integral, working in tandem to generate multiple steals, tying the game at 35–35 as time expired to send the game into overtime.
Mayflower took an early four-point lead in overtime, thanks to excellent plays which forced turnovers and led to easy buckets. Again, Bukit Merah would not live it down, playing extremely scrappy defence and showing grit to grind their way back to a two-point lead.
Jordan Lee (#7) stepped up for Mayflower, cutting through the middle of the paint, absorbing contact to make the shot and got himself sent to the free throw line for the bonus. He displayed remarkable composure as he drained the free throw to give his team a one-point lead with 11 seconds left.
On the ensuing possession, Bukit Merah committed a crucial dribbling violation. Ramos Goh (#12) was subsequently fouled and sank both his free throws to ice the game at 46–43, giving Mayflower a win in their opening game.
Mayflower’s captain, Jason Chan (#9) was ecstatic with the win. “We panicked when we let Bukit Merah back into the game in the 4th quarter. However, we managed to regain our composure and secure the win. As this is our first game, I hope we can communicate more in future games and maintain the same mentality throughout.”
Bukit Merah’s captain, James Lee (#13) was reflective. “We did our best in today’s game and our desire to win fueled our comeback in both the fourth quarter and overtime. I hope we can translate this into our next few games as we aim to make it to the second round.”
Scoring by Quarter
Bukit Merah vs Mayflower
1st Quarter: 7–11
2nd Quarter: 8–4 (15–15)
3rd Quarter: 4–14 (19–29)
4th Quarter: 16–6 (35-35)
Overtime: 8–11 (43–46)
Top Scorers
Bukit Merah
James Lee (#13) — 12 points
Nicholas Soh (#12) — 12 points
Mayflower
Aevrom Ng (#8) — 10 points
Jordan Lee (#7) — 8 points
Ramos Goh (#12) — 8 points
Bukit Merah Roster
Hyeon Jun (#4), Kenny Chay (#5), Hong De (#6), Keith Lum (#7), Sherman Tan (#8), See Yu Jie (#9), Arif (#10), Navik(#11), Nicholas Soh (#12), James Lee (#13), Jacob (#14), Clive Sng (#15)
Mayflower Roster
Bryant Tan (#4), Melvin Ng (#5), Isryad (#6), Jordan Lee (#7), Aevrom Ng (#8), Jason Chan (#9), Han Li (#10), Tay Zhi Wen (#11), Ramos Goh (#12), Jurgen Tan (#13), Tan Jun Kai (#14), Nicko (#15)
More photos next page
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