Story by REDintern Ellis Yap. Photos by Clara Yuan/Red Sports

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(HCI #11) goes for a layup. (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)

Singapore Basketball Centre, Friday, April 24, 2015 — Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) endured a strong effort from Meridian Junior College (MJC) to claim a 60–42 win in the preliminary round of the National A Division Basketball Championship.

Lee Yee Kai Darryl(HCI #13) led the way with a game-high 23 points, while Yap Teng Suan(HCI #9) provided some leverage with 11 points.

MJC gave the reigning champions an early scare as they held the lead for much of the first half. HCI regrouped late in the third period and eventually outlasted a worn out MJC team.

The first quarter ended off with HCI coming off a little sloppy. Good offensive rhythm and effort from Howard Tan (MJC #9) gave MJC a laudable 18–14 lead entering the second period.

Wang Li Shu (MJC #15) started the second quarter with an elbow jumper to extend their lead to 20–14. Yeo Wen Jie(HCI #6) answered with a one-man fast break.

Notable baskets from Soh Wei Jie (#14), Shuan Goh (#4) and Howard Tan (#9) gave MJC a comfortable lead with just two minutes left in the second quarter. Yeo Wen Jie(HCI #6) sank a baseline three-pointer to beat the buzzer at the end of the second period to narrow the deficit to 25–30.

MJC continued their surge with Soh Wei Jie (#14) making a short jumper not long after the start of the third period. MJC keep it going with their fast breaks while Wang Li Shu (MJC #15) converted a few under basket opportunities. Yap Teng Suan(HCI #9) scored a few good looks and managed to give HCI the 43–36 lead.

In the fourth quarter, HCI finally took charge with sporadic offense from Lee Yee Kai Darryl(HCI #13) and Yap Teng Suan(HCI #9), briefly showing signs of the play of reigning champions. HCI eventually finished the game with a 60–42 victory, despite an unanticipated sequence of events.

Lee Yee Kai Darryl(HCI #13) said, “We did not expect them (MJC) to come at us so aggressively, we were just not prepared for it.”

“Our team was very disorientated throughout much of the first half, but we managed to pick up the pace in the final two quarters to take home the win.”

Scoring by quarter
HCI vs MJC
1st Quarter: 14–18
2nd Quarter: 25–30 (11–12)
3rd Quarter: 43–36 (18–6)
4th Qaurter: 60–42 (17–6)

Top scorers
Hwa Chong Institution
(#13) – 23 points
(#9) – 11 points (1 x 3-pointer)

Meridian Junior College
Howard Tan (#9) – 15 (3 x 3-pointers)
Yip Cheng Yu (#10) – 8 points

Hwa Chong Institution Roster
We did not manage to get the full roster. If you recognize any players, please drop us a comment:)
Part of Hwa Chong Roster – Dylan Chua Yee Kiat (#5), Yeo Wen Jie (#6), Yap Teng Suan (#9), Loh Wan Yuan (#12), Lee Yee Kai Darryl (#13), Tan Aik (#14), Fan Yiheng (#15)

Meridian Junior College
Shuan Goh (#4), Ivan Sng (#5),Pang Xue Bin (#6), Nelvin Tay (#7), Lee Yu Wei (#8), Howard Tan (#9), Yip Cheng Yu (#10), Zhao Yu Fei (#11), Kelvan Tang (#12), Ngool Zhi Peng (#13), Soh Wei Jie (#14), Wang Li Shu (#15)

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