Story by REDintern Nicole Lum. Photos by Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports
Cleve Low (#9) of New Town controls the ball against Lee Hong Yang (#4) of Nan Hua. Low scored a game-high 15 points in the victory. (Photo 1 © Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports)
Jurong West Sports Hall, Friday, February 13, 2015 — New Town Secondary defeated Nan Hua High 57–25 to record their third consecutive victory while handing the latter their third straight loss in the second round of the West Zone B Division Basketball Championship.
Cleve Low (#9) and Denilson Soh (#11) led New Town with 15 and 11 points respectively, while Nan Hua’s Lee Hong Yang (#4) poured in a team-high nine points.
The first quarter saw an early 11–3 lead from New Town. However, the New Town momentum was short-lived as their sloppy defence allowed Nan Hua to break through and go on a 5–0 run, reducing the lead to three points at the end of the quarter.
In the next quarter, New Town were determined to block Nan Hua from stealing the lead as they began to step up on their defence. Despite several efforts, Nan Hua found difficulty in breaking through the tight defence put up.
Lee Hong Yang (Nan Hua #4) was the only one who had a chance against New Town as he managed to execute many drives to the basket. Nonetheless, it was to no avail as his shots missed time and again. The three-pointer from Daniel Leong (#6) sparked a 10–2 run for New Town, giving them a larger lead of 16 points (26–10) going into the third quarter.
New Town experienced a shooting slump in the first seven minutes of the third quarter. While their players were unable to finish at the basket, Nan Hua capitalized on the situation, trimming the deficit. However, New Town fought back as deft defensive play by Denilson Soh (New Town #11) sparked a 9–2 run in the remaining three minutes. This gave New Town a 41–22 lead at the end of the quarter.
Cleve Low (New Town #9) anchored the team with just fast breaks alone to gain eight points in the beginning of the final quarter. For Nan Hua, they could only make a single basket in the whole 10 minutes – a three-pointer shot by Lee Hong Yang (Nan Hua #4). The game ended with New Town taking home yet another victory, this time a 57–25 win.
Low (#9) said, “Our defence slacked off. We started losing our momentum during substitutions. But we managed to talk about it and switched to zone defence, which was better and helped us defend properly.”
New Town will next play powerhouses Unity Secondary and Jurong Secondary on February 17 and 27 respectively. A victory in either game will grant New Town a semi-final berth.
“We have been preparing for the games for a long time. We’re going to fight our hardest on those days,” added the New Town captain.
Score by Quarter
New Town vs Nan Hua
1st quarter: 11–8
2nd quarter: 15–2 (26–10)
3rd quarter: 15–12 (41–22)
4th quarter: 16–3 (57–25)
Top scorers
New Town
Cleve Low (#9) – 15 points
Denilson Soh (#11) – 11 points
Nan Hua
Lee Hong Yang (#4) – 9 points (1 x 3-pointer)
New Town Roster
Ryan Ong (#4), Luen Zhe Yuan (#5), Daniel Leong (#6), Justin Yue (#7), Kwan Wei Jun (#8), Cleve Low (#9), Aaron Poh (#10), Denilson Soh (#11), Marzuqi (#12), Patrick Low (#13), Teja Nagayalanka (#14), Sai Vikash (#15)
Nan Hua Roster
Lee Hong Yang (#4), Liang Dingxun (#5), Lenson Lim (#6), Tan Peng Yu (#7), Kng Yew Chian (#8), Tneoh Yuan Ping (#9), Chiam Wee Hean (#10), Lin Jun Hui (#11), Li Yongyi (#12), Cheah Yan (#13), Yu Zong Kai (#14), Leonard Shi (#15)
2015 West Zone B Division Basketball Championship (Boys) – Fixtures and Results
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