Story by reader Kelwin Koh

Clementi Sports Hall, Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - Unity Secondary edged out Jurong Secondary 46-43 in a crucial Round 2 boys’ B Division West Zone Basketball Championship game.

Both teams needed to win this game due to uncharacteristic loses by both teams earlier in the second round. For the first time in as long as anyone can remember, powerhouse Jurong will not feature in the national championships.

The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The Jurong supporters were out in force, sensing perhaps that their team might need the moral support against Unity.

They outnumbered the few Unity supporters consisting of the usual few parent-supporters bolstered by a group of ex-players who were there to root for their juniors.

The game started with both sets playing tense and jittery ball and unable to initiate their usual scoring games. With both coaches’ intimate knowledge of the other's team, it was battle of wits and tactics.

Unity played a predominantly zone defense for the first half, departing from their usual quick pressing man-to-man defense. The reason for this was evident as Jurong's rotation of guards showed great poise, especially #5 and #4. Jurong relied greatly on their outside shooters to make 3-pointers and they repeatedly made them to maintain a lead over Unity.

Unity chose to go to their slightly taller frontline on offense and continually fed the ball to David (#15), Peter (#13) and Wei Xiang (#14). Both teams were unable to make much progress but it was more due to nerves than good defence.

Jurong's centre Justin (#15) was outstanding in the first half, collecting rebounds on both the offensive and defensive boards despite being surrounded by the tall Unity players. Bolstered by the play of Jurong #14, they managed to end the first half leading 21-20.

The third quarter saw the Jurong #14 go on repeated drives into the heart of the Unity defense and combined with the outside shooting of the Jurong #5, kept Unity behind. The Unity bench depth was evident to all as the coach had the luxury to continually switch players on and off to conserve the fouls and the energy level of their key offensive players.

The final play of the quarter was called for Unity forward Wei Xiang (#14) who broke down the defense with an excellent spin move to pull Unity back within one possession at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter saw Unity field an offensive-minded group and the first possession saw PG Shi Chuan (#8) sneak in behind Wei Xiang (#14) and grab an offensive rebound before dropping it in to pull Unity even.

The next two possessions saw the Unity defense switching between their trademark press and a modified zone D that caught the Jurong players off-guard. Unity shooting guard Fang Qi (#5) put on an offensive show by making five consecutive points and the proverbial dagger was plunged into the hearts of the Jurong players as Unity took a five-point lead.

The next possession saw Fang Qi (#5) at the heart of the play as he made a beautiful pass to Wei Xiang (#14) who converted the layup to extend the Unity lead to seven points.

This forced the Jurong coach to call a timeout and regroup his players. They came back with a renewed vigour and crashed the boards after an initial miss by Jurong forward #14. With the subsequent putback, Jurong closed the gap to five points again. Fatigue was starting to show as the players on both teams made a series of mistakes which the other team could not capitalise on.

Jurong went on a final run in the final 1:35, with back-to-back 3-pointers by guards #5 and #7 who seemed to have nerves of steel. Unity countered back by repeatedly posting up Wei Xiang (#14) whose array of low-post moves enabled him to either score or get fouled.

With 45 seconds left, Jurong were only five points down and a mistake by the Unity guards saw the Jurong #8 make a great steal and he streaked down the court before he was fouled. However, he failed to capitalise on the opportunity and only made one free throw to reduce the gap to four points.

The Unity coach called a quick timeout to move the ball up the court. With the game on the line, Jurong played a three-guard rotation to hopefully come up with the steal and make a few quick 3s. The Unity coach drew up a play to get their guard the ball and the team executed it to perfection, ending the game with a series of quick passes that saw the Jurong players shadowing the movement of the ball but unable to get their hands on it.

With the final whistle, Unity eliminated what may be their strongest opponent in the West Zone from the zonal championship semi-finals.

It must be said that Jurong played a game with guts and they never once gave up even after the heartbreaking points scored by the Unity #5. Jurong kept up their hustling defense and never showed any fear of the tall Unity frontline.

Unity's Sec 5 players also made a great difference for the team with their ability to come on to provide a calming influence when the younger players were seemingly overwhelmed by the tension and stress of the game. Special mention goes to Unity guards Zhi Yang (#7), Jing Yi (#6) and Fabian (#11) whose heady plays made a difference together with the strong inside play of Wei Xiang (#14).