Story by REDintern Emer Hoong. Photos by Rebekah Abbott/Red Sports.
Danny Goh (#15) was RI’s top scorer with 18 points. (Photo 1 © Rebekah Abbott/Red Sports)
Jurong East Sports Complex, Friday, May 20, 2016 — Defending champions Raffles Institution (RI) defeated Pioneer Junior College (PJC) 69-53 to win the National A Division Basketball Championship. They finished the championship with a perfect 10-0 win-loss record.
Danny Goh (RI #15) was RI’s top scorer with 18 points while the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award went to Low Junchen (PJC #11), who had a game-high 20 points.
The win secures a championship double for RI after their A Division girls team had beaten Hwa Chong Institution 48-33 in the earlier final. It is RI’s first A Division basketball double since Raffles Junior College last claimed the feat 16 years ago.
It is also the first time RI has clinched back-to-back A Division boys’ basketball titles. Last year, RI’s first title since 2000 had put a stop to Hwa Chong Institution’s nine-year winning streak.
“I am very happy about the win, also because we have won 2 years in a row. I am also very proud since the girls also won. The journey was tough. There were ups and downs but anything worth it will require hard work,” said Justin Yeo (RI #10), the RI team captain.
The game started off at an extremely fast pace and RI led 3-2 two minutes into the game. Both teams grew aggressive steadily and many fouls were called on both sides.
RI continued to lead at 5-4 but Low Junchen (PJC #11) sank a 3-pointer to give PJC the lead. RI then went on a roll to come back, outscoring PJC 14-4 to lead 19-11 at the end of the first quarter.
The 2nd quarter was PJC’s best, as they managed to outscore RI 17-14. RI led 21-14 with seven minutes to go. PJC stepped up their defence and started to take control of the game, reducing the deficit to six points (24-18) with four minutes left.
PJC outscored RI 10-9 for the rest of the quarter to trail by five points (33-28) at half time.
RI led 40-31, two minutes into the third quarter. Both sides were scoring in turns, and the score at the 5-minute mark had RI with a 10-point, 46-36 lead.
The two teams remained close for the rest of the quarter, with RI outscoring PJC 9-8 to lead by 11 points (55-44) heading into the 4th.
Both teams stepped up the pace of the game and the ball was flying from coast to coast but no points were being scored.
RI regrouped and became more aggressive on defence. They started to double team their opponents, trapping PJC at the half court line. PJC took some time to overcome the trap and managed to push through the tight defence.
RI led by 10 points (56-46) after three minutes and extended their lead to 14 points with five minutes left on the clock.
RI outscored PJC 14-9 to eventually wrap up the 69-53 win.
Score By Quarter
PJC vs RI
1st Q: 11-19
2nd Q: 17-14 (28-33)
3rd Q: 16-22 (44-55)
4th Q: 9-14 (53-69)
Top Scorers
RI
Danny Goh (#15) — 18 points
Justin Yeo (#10) — 16 points
Vignesh Renagarajan (#11) — 12 points
PJC
Low Junchen (#11) — 20 points
RI Roster
Justin Yeo (#10), Vignesh Renagarajan (#11), Chean Shao Jie (#6), Jovi Lim (#30), Danny Goh (#15), Huang Daran (#1), Shiva Kumanan (#8), Krison Sum (#12), Tan Ejin (#69), Wang Qirong (#3), Zhang Anli (#9), Tristen Zheng (#7)
PJC Roster
Dexter Tan (#1), Warren Wong (#69), Darius Chan (#12), Nolgene Boey (#6), Shaun Tham (#8), Wesley Yeo (#7), Eugene Low (#13), Shawn Ng (#14), Gavin Tay (#23), Dini Matin B Zaini (#17), Low Junchen (#11), Alvin Chan (#20)
National A Division Basketball Championship – fixtures and results
More photos next page
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