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

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Yap Teng Suan (HCI #9) drives the ball past Lim Kai Ping (NYJC #9). Teng Suan led his team with a game-high 21 points. (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)

Clementi Sports Hall, Thursday, April 30, 2015 — Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) defeated Nanyang Junior College (NYJC) 60–52 to top Group A in the preliminary round of the National A Division Basketball Championship.

NYJC, with a 3–1 win-loss record, settled for the second qualifying spot and both teams will advance to the second round.

Yap Teng Suan (HCI #9) had a stellar performance, dropping a game-high 21 points in the victory.

NYJC started the ball game strong as they looked to upset the defending champions. Aldwin Jonathan Ryanto (NYJC #12) went for an easy under the basket move to put the ball through the net, scoring the first basket of the game.

Tan Aik (HCI #14) followed suit, going for an uncontested lay-up as the defense fell asleep. Soon Wei Jun (HCI #7) attacked the basket right after, stealing the ball away and was fouled on the way up.

Having experienced a couple of lapses in the previous games in the preliminary round, HCI appeared more focused and well prepared coming into the game against NYJC.

NYJC kept pace with HCI, with offensive efforts by Hammond Lek (NYJC #7) and Shawn Toh (NYJC #8), closing on the deficit to prevent the game from slipping away. HCI ended the quarter 20–14 ahead.

Yap Teng Suan (HCI #9) was a force on the offensive end as he drove through traffic, stepping on the gas pedal with full force throughout the game, finishing at the basket on many occasions over multiple NYJC defenders.

Hammond Lek (NYJC #7) stood out with his poise on offense, and used his speed and strength for a handful of easy baskets.

The only downside to his game was that he was unable to step up and influence the rest of his team, as well as control the tempo to positively impact the result of the game.

The offense from NYJC was strong, with their players matching up to those of HCI. However, NYJC played catch-up for much of the second half with lapses on offense and defense.

HCI had a composed starting unit and a good bench depth to support their starters. They had better offensive execution, running plays smoothly while getting everyone involved on both ends of the floor.

NYJC trailed by double digits in the fourth quarter and tried to close the gap, outscoring HCI 14–9, but they were never able to get close enough. HCI pocketed the eventual 60–52 win to finish the preliminary round with a perfect 4–0 win-loss record.

Fan Yiheng (HCI #15) said, “We did a great job in the first quarter by stopping the offense of NYJC. However in the second quarter, we had a few lapses but we eventually made up for it in the later part of the game. The main problem was actually our defense earlier on in the game, as there were a few moments when we could not get help from our centers and concurrently, they had a few really good forwards coming at us. But the good thing is that we managed to sort everything out and eventually win the game.”

Hammond Lek (NYJC #7) said, “I think we did a good job, be it offensively or defensively. The few turnovers and lapses costed us the game. If we’d controlled the game better and eliminated the mistakes we made, we may have won the game.”

Scoring by quarter
HCI vs NYJC
1st Quarter: 20–14
2nd Quarter: 35–26 (15–12)
3rd Quarter: 51–38 (16–12)
4th Quarter: 60–52 (9–14)

Top Scorers
HCI
Yap Teng Suan (#9) – 21 points (2 x 3-pointers)
Soon Wei Jun (#7) – 12 points

NYJC
Hammond Lek (#7) – 13 points
Shawn Toh (#8) – 11 points
Al Khalifa Bin Mazlan (#14) – 9 points

HCI Roster
Dylan Chua Yee Kiat (#5), Yeo Wen Jie (#6), Soon Wei Jun (#7), Toh Tze Cong (#8), Yap Teng Suan (#9), Loh Wan Yuan (#11), Shawn Ee Guan Aik (#12), Lee Yee Kai Darryl (#13), Tan Aik (#14), Fan Yiheng (#15)

NYJC Roster
Tristan Chow (#4), Kion Tan (#5), Kelvin Ng (#6), Hammond Lek (#7), Shawn Toh (#8), Lim Kai Ping (#9), Gladwin Neo (#10), Qiu Yi Wen (#11), Aldwin Jonathan Ryanto (#12), Billy Yap (#13), Al Khalifa Bin Mazlan (#14), Wong Zhen Xiang (#15)

2015 National A Division Boys’ Basketball Championship – fixtures and results

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