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

Gundu Mahidhar Reddy (PJC #9) looks to beat his defender to the basket. He finished with a game-high 17 points in the win. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

Gundu Mahidhar Reddy (PJC #9) looks to beat his defender to the basket. He finished with a game-high 17 points in the win. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)

Singapore Basketball Centre, Monday, April 30, 2018 — With a late fourth-quarter surge, Pioneer Junior College (PJC) overcame a double-digit Dunman High School (DHS) lead for a 51–43 quarter-final victory in the National A Division Basketball Championship.

This win places Pioneer JC at the top of their group with a 1-0 win-loss record, while Dunman High falls to a 0-1 win-loss record.

Pioneer JC were led by Gundu Mahidhar Reddy (PJC #9) with a game-high 17 points, while teammate Gregory Chan Xu Zhan (PJC #0) contributed in double digits with 10. For Dunman High, it was a stellar shooting display by Goh Ting En Jonathan (DHS #15) as he knocked down four treys for a team-high 16 points. Zachary Glyndon Gan Zi Xiang (DHS #7) added 13 to his team’s total.

In the game’s first 10 minutes, both teams found themselves unable to score effectively thanks to some physical play on both ends of the floor.

Despite this, it was clear that Dunman High’s drive-and-kick offence was placing a major emphasis on perimeter shooting, as they chucked up their fair share of treys throughout those first minutes. This helped put them up 11–9 by the end of the quarter.

The next quarter saw more of the same as Dunman High repeatedly found the open shooter beyond the arc. Dunman High also pressed Pioneer JC, which forced turnovers for easy scores on the other end.

Frustrated, Pioneer JC called a timeout just seconds into the frame, and it seemed like all the momentum was on the side of their opposition. Despite having open looks, Pioneer JC could not convert, and their deficit grew larger. By the end of the half, they were down 18–24.

The trend set in the first half would carry on into the second, and with a combination of Dunman High’s aggressive full-court press and double-teaming defence, they were able to pressure the Pioneer JC ball handler into giving up the ball. The third quarter ended with the Dunman High lead extended to double digits.

We asked Pioneer JC’s top scorer, Gundu Mahidhar Reddy (PJC #9) on how the team approached the final quarter: “Coming into the fourth quarter…Our team had a mentality of not giving up, and pushing ourselves as hard as we can to get the W. We decided to give it our all and play to our best ability.”

Pioneer JC did just that – outscoring Dunman High 28–6 over the span of the game’s last 10 minutes to come out with a stunning comeback victory.

Despite coming into the fourth quarter guns blazing, Dunman High’s turnover woes would allow Pioneer JC to claw their way back into the game, a Bill Tye (PJC #15) trey bringing them within 10. With 4:32 left on the clock, an under-basket shot by Mohammad Yousuf (PJC #11) would bring them level with Dunman High at 40–40.

And then, Mahidhar Reddy (PJC #9) happened. After the team made a tough defensive stop, he turned the tide of the game with a strong move inside for an and-one layup which re-energised the Pioneer JC bench and shifted the game’s momentum.

Although he missed his chance for the extra point, he would go on to score seven of Pioneer JC’s last 11 points. He told us: “My teammates pushed me, and their energy gave me the motivation to score. We had the momentum and decided to keep it by pressing them and scoring as much as we could.”

With that final push, Pioneer JC came from behind to take down Dunman High 51–43 in their first game of the quarter-finals.

Dunman High captain Tan Yan Zhou (DHS #12) took us through their fourth quarter: “There was a breakdown in terms of teamwork and communication. We had a game-plan to break their press, and it worked for the first three quarters. Down the stretch, we broke down and didn’t execute what coach wanted. No one actually stood up to rectify the problem, we started pointing fingers and let the game pass us.”

But, he remained positive about their chances in the tournament, adding: “I think that this was a good wake-up call, and our following games will be tougher…but I feel like we can still do it if we maintain our composure and follow coach’s game plan.”

In their next matches, Pioneer JC will face National Junior College, while Dunman High takes on Catholic Junior College. Both matches will take place at Singapore Basketball Centre on May 2, with tip-off at 4.30pm.

Scoring by Quarter
Dunman High School v Pioneer Junior College
1st Q: 11–9
2nd Q: 13–9 (24–18)
3rd Q: 11–7 (35–25)
4th Q: 8–26 (43–51)

Leading Scorers
Dunman High School
Goh Ting En Jonathan (#15) – 16 points, 4 3PM
Zachary Glyndon Gan Zi Xiang (#7) – 13 points

Pioneer Junior College
Gundu Mahidhar Reddy (#9) – 17 points
Gregory Chan Xu Zhan (#0) – 10 points

Dunman High School Roster
Zhong Xinyu (#5), Kevin Zhu Chun Yin (#6), Zachary Glyndon Gan Zi Xiang (#7), Jordan Kwek Boon Choon (#8), Nicholas Soh Kai Sern (#9), Gregory Teo Tong Sian (#11), Tan Yan Zhou (#12), Joshaun Goh (#13), Goh Ting En Jonathan (#15)

Pioneer Junior College
Gregory Chan Xu Zhan (#0), Jason Tan Jia Sheng (#5), Joshner B De Guzman (#7), Thomas Joseph Lee Alba (#8), Gundu Mahidhar Reddy (#9), Xavier Lee Wei Long (#10), Mohammad Yousuf (#11), Wong Jia Kang (#12), Lim Jing Long (#13), Ho Lok Wah (#14), Bill Tye Zhi Xuan (#15), Neysan Foo Shiquan (#20)

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