Story by Ellis Yap/Red Sports. Photos by Matthew Lau/Red Sports
Sherman Soh (AJC #5) goes for the lay up. He scored 12 points in the victory. (Photo 1 © Matthew Lau/Red Sports)
Singapore Basketball Centre, Friday, May 15, 2015 — Anderson Junior College (AJC) took home the bronze medal after defeating Nanyang Junior College (NYJC) 60–54 in the 3rd/4th playoff game in the National A Division Basketball Championship.
After going down to Raffles Institution in the semi-final, AJC bounced back to eventually take down a resilient NYJC team.
Jason Lee (AJC #6) scored eight straight points in the final moments of the game to secure a victory for his team. He was eight of 10 from the free throw line in the final two minutes of the game, and finished with a team-high 15 points.
Hammond Lek (NYJC #7) and Shawn Toh (NYJC #8) put up brilliant performances as well, each tallying a 15-point effort.
Both teams managed to keep the scoreline close in the opening quarter. Two consecutive baskets from Han Jun Seo (AJC #7) and Chong Yih Xuan (AJC #14) put AJC up by two at the end of the first quarter.
AJC raced to a fast start in the second quarter. Sherman Soh (AJC #5) sneaked past the defense for a putback after a missed jumper from Han Jun Seo (AJC #7) to extend their lead to nine points.
AJC played more aggressively on both ends while NYJC appeared a little passive. Hammond Lek (NYJC #7) and Shawn Toh (NYJC #8) did much of the heavy lifting, scoring a combined 30 of the 54 points scored by the entire team. They could not get enough support from the rest of their team as NYJC continued to struggle in the second quarter.
Sherman Soh (AJC #5) ended the quarter with a three-pointer to help AJC maintain a comfortable seven-point lead.
NYJC’s defense slackened in the third quarter and they appeared sluggish on offense. Jason Lee (AJC #6) stole a careless pass, feeding Lim Teck Leong (AJC #8) on fast break to spark an 8–0 run.
AJC were forceful on offense, going right at NYJC while getting many second chance attempts. NYJC found themselves down by as much as 13 points at the end of the third quarter as they played catch-up in the final period.
NYJC quickly tightened their defense and pushed the ball on offense. Shawn Toh (NYJC #8) trimmed their deficit to six points with a baseline jumper, forcing an AJC time-out. Hammond Lek’s (NYJC #7) layup then reduced the deficit to three points (51–54).
With 58 seconds on the clock, Jason Lee (AJC #6) was fouled on the way to the basket and he sank a pair of free throws to put AJC up 56–51, giving his team some breathing space.
With 25 seconds left, Hammond Lek (NYJC #7) nailed a three-pointer, trimming NYJC’s deficit to just two points.
However, Jason Lee (AJC #6) dashed NYJC’s hopes as he secured the victory for AJC with six straight free throws.
Scoring by quarter
AJC vs NYJC
1st Quarter: 14–12
2nd Quarter: 16–11 (30–23)
3rd Quarter: 16–10 (46–33)
4th Quarter: 16–21 (62–54)
Top scorers
AJC
Jason Lee (#6) – 15 points
Sherman Soh (#5) – 12 points (2 x 3-pointers)
NYJC
Hammond Lek (#7) – 15 points (1 x 3-pointer)
Shawn Toh (#8) – 15 points
AJC Roster
Alven Lee (#4), Sherman Soh (#5), Jason Lee (#6), Han Jun Seo (#7), Lim Teck Leong (#8), Glenn Goh (#9), Wesley Teo (#10), Liang Bing Xin (#11), Dylan Lee (#12), Au Jun Wei (#13), Chong Yih Xuan (#14), Ng Jun Xiang (#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)
National A Division Basketball Championship — fixtures and results
More photos next page
Leave A Comment