Story by REDintern Daniel Yeo. Photos by Dylan Chua/Red Sports.

Kindra Sim (#10) takes aim in the lane. The Jurong guard scored eight points in the victory. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

Kindra Sim (#10) takes aim in the lane. The Jurong guard scored eight points in the victory. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

OCBC Arena, Wednesday, March 21, 2018 — With a strong performance in the 4th quarter, Jurong Secondary (JSS) pulled away from Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary (AIS) to take them down 27–17.

This meant that Jurong is now poised to qualify for the next round of the Nationals with a 2–0 win-loss record. Ahmad Ibrahim, on the other hand, has only a slim chance of doing the same, with a 0–2 win-loss record.

Jurong was led by Kindra Sim (JSS #10) with eight points. Ahmad Ibrahim was led by Marilyn Yap Shu Shan (AIS #8) with six points.

The starting buzzer sounded, and Valerie Lim (JSS #7) promptly scored the first two points of the game with a lay-up. She managed to score one more in the first quarter, and another two in the second quarter, but it was an uncharacteristic game for Jurong. For a team which scored 50 in their opening match, being held to 10 after 20 minutes of basketball was different.

Perhaps this could be attributed to Ahmad Ibrahim’s defence. Their captain, Marilyn Yap Shu Shan (AIS #8), had this to say about their performance on the day: “I think we played well defensively, the way my teammates tried their best on every possession…was pretty outstanding.

Be that as it may, Ahmad Ibrahim was not scoring much either. Jurong made sure to make up for their poor offensive performance with their suffocating full-court press, which prevented Ahmad Ibrahim from capitalizing early and taking the lead.

It looked like the makings of a low-scoring game, and true enough, the first half ended 8–10, with Jurong barely in the lead.

Ahmad Ibrahim set the tone of the second half with an early trey by Marilene Ang Jia Xin (AIS #24), giving them the lead 11–10. Jurong did not let them get comfortable, though, with Foo Le Yao (JSS #14) laying the basketball up and in for two not long after.

The fourth quarter began with teams neck-and-neck at 15–14, Ahmad Ibrahim possessing the lead. However, Jurong stepped up on both ends of the floor to pull away with a 13–2 scoring run. Putri (JSS #23) went off and scored all of her six points in the quarter as part of Jurong’s offensive push, which allowed them to take the lead and extend it.

It was undeniable that Ahmad Ibrahim’s captain, Marilyn (AIS #8), was pouring her all into the game. She showed some great hustle on the less glamorous end of the floor by stepping into passing lanes, which created steals and fast-breaks. Jurong’s defence managed to recover on some possessions, however, and stopped her from gaining too much momentum and cutting into their lead.

In the half-court set, it was Loh Yu Xian (JSS #13) who anchored the Jurong defence, ensuring that Ahmad Ibrahim did not regain a foothold in the match. She protected the paint well and accumulated a number of blocks in a strong defensive performance.

Despite Ahmad Ibrahim’s best efforts, Jurong came away with the 10-point win 27–17 at the end of the 40 minutes.

In spite of the loss, Ahmad Ibrahim is still staying positive. An emotional Marilyn (AIS #8) professed: “Although we aren’t a very good scoring team, I felt like our spirit in the game was outstanding…Jurong is known for being a strong school, but I feel like we played well against them today.”

In the last match of the first round, Ahmad Ibrahim will face St. Margaret’s, while Jurong will face Anglican High.

Both matches will be held at OCBC Arena on March 23, with tip-off at 2.30pm.

Scoring by Quarter
Ahmad Ibrahim v Jurong
1st Q: 4–3
2nd Q: 4–7 (8–10)
3rd Q: 7–4 (15–14)
4th Q: 2–13 (17–27)

Leading Scorers
Ahmad Ibrahim
Marilyn Yap Shu Shan (#8) – 6 points

Jurong
Kindra Sim (#10) – 8 points

Ahmad Ibrahim Roster
Dania Ervianny Nah Wei Lin (#4), Nur Asyura (#5), Eunice Koh Shu Ning (#6), Jing Yi (#7), Marilyn Yap Shu Shan (#8), Nur Hairunnishah (#9), Damia Tarisyah (#10), Eunice Tan (#13), Chloe Toh (#15), Marilene Ang Jia Xin (#24), Chang Wai Chain (#25), Caren Chia Jia En (#49)

Jurong Roster
Celine (#4), Charmaine Ong (#5), Valerie Tan (#6), Valerie Lim (#7), Koh Yu Qian (#9), Kindra Sim (#10), Richa Rachel John (#11), Loh Yu Xian (#13), Foo Le Yao (#14), Ng Kai Lie (#17), Putri (#23), Sarrah Nabilah Bte Mokhlas (#31)

More photos next page