Story By Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by Joseph Lee/Red Sports

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Navani (AHS #4) looks to make a shot with three defenders trying to stop her. She finished with a game high of 12 points. (Photo 1 © Joseph Lee/Red Sports)

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Jurong East Sports Hall, Monday, September 2, 2013 — Anglican High came back from a slow first quarter to beat Nanyang Girls’ High 44–37 in the final of the C Division Girls’ Basketball Championship. This was the first title for Anglican since 2006, ending a seven-year drought. Navani (AHS #4) led all scorers with 12 points, while Natasha Ng (NYGH #9) led her team with 11.

The first quarter was a slow affair, as nerves seemed to get the better of both teams. Anglican High were unable to penetrate Nanyang’s zone defence, forcing them to settle for ill-advised jumpshots that rimmed out. They were bothered by the height of Si Yu Han (#15), who dissuaded the Anglican players from driving to the basket as well as disrupted the passing lanes.

Nanyang’s offence was equally anaemic, as they rotated the ball on the perimeter, but the lack of awareness of the shot clock forced them into a couple of 24-second violations. Nanyang eventually found their groove midway through the quarter, drawing fouls on drives to the basket and converting the subsequent free throws. Natasha Ng (NYGH #9) capped off the quarter with a half-court buzzer-beater, giving Nanyang a 10–2 lead.

Anglican High started off slow in the second quarter, their drives to the basket again proving ineffective. A couple of slow rotations on the defensive end that lead to Nanyang baskets added to their frustrations. However, they managed to find their footing at the halfway mark, as fatigue started to set in the Nanyang defence.

Anglican High’s drives became more effective and they managed to put Nanyang in a penalty situation with three minutes to go to allow them to chip at the lead with free throws. Nanyang managed to hold on with good offense and game management and headed into the break with a seven-point, 21–14 lead.

The third quarter was a different story, as Anglican High rushed out to a 9–0 run to grab the lead. This seemed to unnerve Nanyang as they started to miss easy shots and let rebounds get away from them.

Navani (AHS #4) spearheaded Anglican’s charge. She covered a lot of ground, securing rebounds and pushing the ball up the court on fast breaks. The momentum was clearly in Anglican High’s favour and the 34–31 lead they held at the end of the quarter reflected it.

In the final quarter, Nanyang looked to make a comeback. But each time they did, they were met by Anglican High’s staunch defence. Clarice Tan (AHS #5) fouled out with six minutes left in the game while Anglican was up by three, disappointment evident on her face even though she had a good performance in the game.

Even though they were down one key player, Anglican High did not lose morale, seemingly able to find an answer for each Nanyang basket. In the end, Anglican held out for a 44–37 win, bringing home the title that had eluded them for the past seven years.

Navani (AHS #4) was excited about ending her school’s long wait. “I think we did really well today, we never gave up even though we were down in the first quarter. I am glad that we were able to finally bring back glory to the school after missing out for so long. I hope that we’ll be able to adopt the same ‘never-say-die’ attitude in B Division next year!”

Natasha Ng (NYGH #9) said: “We played our best today but the other team did better. We were unable to convert on our opportunities, which were costly. I hope that we will be able to claim back the title in B Division!”

Scoring by Quarter
Anglican High vs Nanyang Girls’
1st Quarter:2–10
2nd Quarter:12–11 (14–21)
3rd Quarter:20–10 (34–31)
4th Quarter:10–6 (44–37)

Top Scorers
Anglican High
Navani (#4) – 12 points
Carissa Chan (#7) – 10 points

Nanyang Girls’ High
Natasha Ng (#9) – 11 points (1 x 3-pointer)

Anglican High Roster
Navani (#4), Clarice Tan (#5), Chelsea Eng (#6), Carissa Chan (#7), Annabelle Chan (#8), Shannon Tham (#9), Ng Qi Hui (#10), Joyce Lim (#11), Vivian Hau (#12), Oon Huishan (#13), Koh Hwee Chiang (#14), Chiang Jia Xuan (#15)

Nanyang Girls’ Roster
Glades Tan (#4), Chan Yu Cheng (#5), Audrey Au (#6), Adeline Wong (#7), Lavelle Wong (#8), Natasha Ng (#9), Soon Wei Wen (#10), Xing Yue (#11), Tan Qi Qing (#12), Wei Lin (#13), Tan Liwen (#14), Si Yi Han (#15)

C Division Girls’ Basketball Championship – fixtures and results

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