Story by Daniel Yeo/Red Sports. Photos by Dylan Chua/Red Sports.
Xavier Ng (AJC #13) soars for an open lay-up in transition. The swingman scored 12 points against PJC. (Photo 1 © Dylan Chua/Red Sports)
Singapore Basketball Centre, Friday, May 4, 2018 — The scoring performances of Anderson Junior College’s (AJC) key players secured a decisive 59–35 win over Pioneer Junior College (PJC) in the second round of the National A Division Basketball Championship.
This win gives Anderson JC a 2-0 win-loss record, placing them at the top of their group. Meanwhile, with a 1-2 win-loss record, Pioneer JC are all but eliminated from the tournament.
With three makes from deep, Gundu Mahidhar Reddy (PJC #9) led Pioneer JC with a game-high 14 points, while Anderson JC had four players in double figures: (AJC #25) with a game-high 14, (AJC #13) and (AJC #21) with 12 each, and (AJC #14) with 11 off the bench.
As soon as the game began, Anderson JC’s work on the less glamorous end made it challenging for Pioneer JC to score, and it took Pioneer JC five minutes before Gregory Chan (PJC #0) put them on the board.
The first quarter saw both teams lock each other down for a low-scoring affair, Anderson JC going into the second quarter with a slim three-point lead.
Anderson JC was operating a man-to-man defence, and had some big bodies on the ball, possessing size and height Pioneer JC could not match. Despite utilizing some off-ball movement in an attempt to throw off the defence, Pioneer JC would find it difficult to put the ball in the basket.
Realizing that scoring in the paint would not be an easy task, Mahidhar Reddy (PJC #9) mixed up his game to keep Pioneer JC close. Usually, a player that travels downhill and into the paint with speed and force, he used his touch to sink two treys for six of Pioneer JC’s nine during the quarter.
On the other hand, Pioneer JC was operating a 2-3 zone defence, placing their emphasis on guarding the paint rather than beyond the arc.
Knowing this, (AJC #25) took advantage and drilled back-to-back threes, extending the Anderson JC lead. In an effort to prevent this, Pioneer JC began to press Anderson JC full-court, slowing Anderson JC to an eight-point lead by the half’s end.
The second half saw more physical play from both teams, with bodies sprawled on the floor fighting for the ball in a “who wanted it more” contest.
Pioneer JC, who had hoped to reset for the second half, were still unable to convert on their looks from three-point land in the third quarter. Gregory Chan (PJC #0), though, kept them in the contest by scoring five of his nine points in the quarter. With a drive into the teeth of the Anderson JC defence, he made a tough and-one layup which drove both the Pioneer JC bench and the supporting crowd wild.
Despite what looked like a momentum shift into Pioneer JC’s favour, Anderson JC stayed strong and went right back at them. (AJC #25) undoubtedly hit the shot of the game with a miraculous mid-range pull-up jumper, banking it in when he realised he had been fouled for a chance at a three-point play.
With a nine-point gap going into the fourth quarter, Pioneer JC had their chances to get back into the game and put some pressure on Anderson JC. But, for those final ten minutes of the game, they would take some very difficult and low-percentage shots – it seemed like they were panicking and rushing themselves into their shot as they tried to close their deficit.
Using that, Anderson JC pushed their lead from the 10s into the 20s, and all but eliminated Pioneer JC from the tournament with a 59–35 win soon after.
In a game dominated by individual scoring, Pioneer JC’s Gregory Chan (PJC #0) and Mahidhar Reddy (PJC #9) carried the offensive load with 23 of Pioneer JC’s eventual 35. For Anderson JC, (AJC #13, #14, #21, and #25) combined for 49 of Anderson JC’s 59.
Despite the loss, Pioneer JC captain Joshner (PJC #7) gave his thanks to a supportive crowd: “First of all, I want to thank them for coming down. Really, the support that the school has shown us is incredible. Even though it’s only a second-round game, they still come down and support us. We really felt it in the game, with the momentum and stuff.”
He also stayed positive and confident in his team, adding: “I think we really gave it our all, this second-round. It’s just that we fell short. I think that we should have capitalized more on the previous games, but I feel we really did our best, we just came up short.”
Anderson JC will next take on National Junior College in a crucial game for group seeding, while Pioneer JC will take on Catholic Junior College. Both games will be held at Singapore Basketball Centre on May 7, tipping off at 4.30pm.
Scoring by Quarter
Pioneer Junior College v Anderson Junior College
1st Q: 3–6
2nd Q: 9–14 (12–20)
3rd Q: 11–12 (23–32)
4th Q: 12–27 (35–59)
Leading Scorers
Pioneer Junior College
Gundu Mahidhar Reddy (#9) – 14 points
Anderson Junior College
(#25) – 14 points
(#13) – 12 points
(#21) – 12 points
(#14) – 11 points
Pioneer Junior College Roster
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)
Anderson Junior College Roster
We were unable to obtain the team roster. Please kindly leave a comment below if you know any of the players.
More photos next page
Leave A Comment