Story by REDintern Ellis Yap. Photos by Lee Jian Wei/Red Sports
Gavin Tay (#11) of Fairfield Methodist Secondary takes a shot against Shawn Ong (#10) of Jurong West Secondary. (Photo 1 © Lee Jian Wei/Red Sports)
Clementi Sports Hall, Wednesday, April 15, 2015 — A good team effort led Fairfield Methodist School (FMS) to a consolatory 64–60 victory over Jurong West Secondary, as they clinched third place in the National B Division Basketball Championship.
It was a display of team effort for Fairfield with everybody on the team contributing to the score. Gavin Tay (FMS #11), Krison Sum (FMS #12) and Xavier Ng (FMS #13) registered double digit scoring with 10, 11 and 10 points respectively. Ong Jin Han (Jurong West #7) led all scorers with 15 points.
It was an intense game as both teams fought hard throughout the game for the third spot. The first basket came just less than a minute after tip-off when Ryan Chew (FMS #4) dropped his first jumper of the game.
Kelvin Ser (Jurong West #5) responded immediately with a three-pointer, but a three-point play by Krison Sum (FMS #12) put Fairfield ahead.
Jurong West erased the lead with three-pointers coming from Cheang Yiu Wei (Jurong West #8) and Shawn Ong (Jurong West #10) respectively.
Fairfield had the upper hand as they took advantage of their taller roster for easy baskets. Nicholas Leong (FMS #15) ended the quarter with a three-pointer to put FMS ahead 19–9.
Jurong West, recognizing their size disadvantage, revised their strategy and came in after the break with many fast break attempts. Dexter Tan (Jurong West #6) and Ong Jin Han (Jurong West #7) led the breaks with a few others contributing as well.
The strategy proved effective against the bigger line-up of FMS. Shaken up by the sudden up-tempo offence, Fairfield gave up many fouls while Jurong West tightened their grip, converting most of the baskets and free-throws.
Jurong West kept the fast breaks going to shred their deficit. Just as Jurong West were on fire, a debatable call came. Joseph Po (Jurong West #14) was called for a technical foul for what seemed to be a legitimate strong move against Jerome Tan (FMS #14) and Gavin Tay (FMS #11).
The third quarter ended with Fairfield holding on to an eight-point lead.
The final period was a dog fight between the two determined teams as they went back and forth trading basket for basket.
The performance of Joseph Po (Jurong West #14) was especially notable as he continued his strong presence under the basket, bulldozing through multiple defenders for tough baskets while making his trip to the free-throw line in three straight possessions. He made two baskets and converted four out of six from the free-throw line.
The Jurong West bench contributed as well as they continued their fast offensive plays. With the interior defense of Fairfield focusing on Joseph Po (Jurong West #14), Jeff Tan (Jurong West #4) and Dexter Tan (Jurong West #6) sneaked in for a couple of easy putbacks.
Supporters went roaring, greatly boosting the morale and confidence level of Jurong West as they closed the gap to 55–57 with less than three minutes left on the clock.
Fairfield responded with jumpers from the perimeter and a three-pointer from Krison Sum (FMS #12) set their supporters cheering.
In the crucial moments of the final period, Jurong West could not convert their free-throws, making just two out of six from the free-throw line. FMS eventually clinched the victory and the third place.
Krison Sum (FMS #12) said, “We played the same today as with many other matches. We played hard and we fought hard throughout the game. I wish to thank my whole team as it has been a long journey from the start till the end, and today marks the end of our memorable journey together.”
Scoring by Quarter
Fairfield vs Jurong West
1st Quarter: 19–9
2nd Quarter: 9–10 (28–19)
3rd Quarter: 18–19 (46–38)
4th Quarter: 18–22 (64–60)
Top Scorers
Fairfield
Krison Sum (#12) – 11 points (2 x 3-pointers)
Gavin Tay (#11) – 10 points
Xavier Ng (#14) – 10 points
Jurong West
Ong Jin Han (#7) – 15 points
Joseph Po (#14) – 10 points
Fairfield Methodist Roster
Ryan Chew (#4), Timothy Har (#5), Jaryl Tan (#6), Ryan Lee (#7), Andre Wong (#8), Benedict Ng (#9), John Ang (#10), Gavin Tay (#11), Krison Sum (#12), Xavier Ng (#13), Jerome Tan (#14), Nicholas Leong (#15)
Jurong West Roster
Jeff Tan (#4), Kelvin Ser (#5), Dexter Tan (#6), Ong Jin Han (#7), Cheang Yiu Wei (#8), Sean Tiah (#9), Shawn Ong (#10), Lim Zhi Yi (#11), Ye Htun Naing (#12), Benjamin Ang (#13), Joseph Po (#14), Wang Jing Kai (#15)
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