By Zachary Foo/Red Sports

Xavier Ng (FMS #13) shooting over a sea of Mayflower defenders. He led all scorers with 22 points. (Photo 1 © Zachary Foo/Red Sports)

PESEB, Tuesday, July 8, 2014 — Fairfield Methodist School (FMS) qualified for the second round with a 72–40 win over Queenstown Secondary (QTS) in the first round of the South Zone C Division Boys Basketball Championship. Xavier Ng (FMS #13) led all scorers with 22 points, while QTS (#7) paced his team with 19 points.

Fairfield Methodist finished at the top of Group A with a 3–0 win-loss record, while Queenstown finish third in their group with a 1–2 win-loss record. Fairfield Methodist have qualified for the second round.

Both teams traded baskets for the first few possessions. However, Fairfield’s size advantage started to show midway through the first period. Xavier Ng (FMS #13) used his height to grab a lot of offensive rebounds early, allowing Fairfield to build an eight-point lead at the end of the period.

However, the momentum would shift in favour of Queenstown in the second period. Fairfield took the opportunity to send in their bench to protect their lead from the first quarter. This strategy backfired, as they had no player to mark QTS (#7). He was able to torch his defenders with his blazing quick speed on fast breaks, scoring 12 points in the quarter. His scoring output highlighted a 10-point swing in favour of Queenstown. Queenstown went into half time up two points.

QTS (#7) opened up the third quarter with four straight points, showing no signs of slowing down at that point in time. However, the Fairfield Methodist coach saw enough and sent his starting lineup back into the game. Fairfield Methodist adjusted well, putting a player to man-mark QTS (#7). This significantly diminished his effectiveness, as he would score only three more points for the rest of the game.

Fairfield Methodist were able to grab the lead back at 36–35. They would not relinquish that lead for the rest of the game.

The final quarter was a blow out for Fairfield Methodist, as they outscored Queenstown by 23 points in the period. A strong full-court press coupled with Xavier Ng’s (FMS #13) presence in the paint, were more than enough to repel any Queenstown attack. Fairfield Methodist finished the game 72–40 victors, earning themselves a place in the second round.

Fairfield Methodist captain, Denzel Tan (#5), said, “We didn’t start the game well, but we played better after that. I would like to thank God for helping us play together as a team. We gave them too many chances, but I am glad that we managed to qualify for the second round.”

Scoring by Quarter
Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) vs Queenstown Secondary
1st Quarter: 16–8
2nd Quarter: 11–21 (27–29)
3rd Quarter: 17–6 (44–35)
4th Quarter: 28–5 (72–40)

Top Scorers
FMS
Xavier Ng (#13) – 22 points

QTS
(#7) – 19 points

FMS Roster
Timothy Har (#4), Denzel Tan (#5), Leonard Tay (#6), Leon Lai (#7), Gordon Leong (#8), John Ang (#9), Nicholas Png (#10), Nicholas Leong (#11), Ryan Mok (#12), Xavier Ng (#13), John Vanan (#14), Jin Shengde (#15)

QTS Roster
We were unable to obtain the roster for Queenstown Secondary. If you recognise any of the players, please post them in the comments below and we’ll update the post. Thanks.

South Zone C Division Basketball Championship — Fixtures and Results

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