Story by Charles Lim/Red Sports. Photos by REDintern Ashley Lu.
Chia Zao Liang, Lyon (Hall 2 #14) dribbling the ball during match. (Photo 1 © REDintern Ashley Lu)
Sports Recreation Centre @ The Wave, Friday, February 7, 2020 — In a steady fashion, Hall 2 maintained their reputation as perennial Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Inter-Hall Games (IHG) basketball powerhouse, clinching the title once again for the fourth year running as they overcame Hall 10 comfortably with a 78-55 victory.
“Even though we clinched our three-peat last year, we did not get complacent and still trained hard, remaining hungry for another championship title,” captain Ang Jia Le (Hall 2 #17) said.
It was a neck-and-neck game in the early minutes as Cheong Rong Hao (Hall 2 #13) and Lyon Chia (Hall 2 #14) got into tempo quickly and contributed 14 points in the first quarter, whereas Hall 10 had Sergul Toh (Hall 10 #5) who was relentless in the post and posing much trouble for the Hall 2 defence. The first quarter ended with Hall 2 having a slight edge at 19-13.
Ler Puay Him (Hall 2 #35) opened the second quarter with a mid-range jumper and Hall 10 responded with 3-point shots of their own via Hashen Singh (Hall 10 #6) and Keane Sim (Hall 10 #30), as they narrowed their deficit to a mere two points at 21-23. Not crumbling under the pressure, Hall 2 managed to emanate strong presence on both ends of the court and go on a 12-0 run. Rong Hao (Hall 2 #13) was a key contributor in the run with back to back treys and was supported with jumpers from Puay Him (Hall 2 #35) and Jia Le (Hall 2 #17).
Sergul Toh (Hall 10 #5) ended the scoring drought with an offensive putback. However, they did not manage to contain Hall 2 as the quarter ended with Hall 2 being ahead at 48-33.
The third quarter started off sluggish for both teams as they could not convert their attempts. Halfway through, Hall 2 started to pick up momentum via transition plays as their defence stifled their opponents. Even so, Hall 2 also committed a few turnovers which Hall 10 capitalised on. With hot hands to wrap up the quarter, Lyon Chia (Hall 2 #14) and Brian Wong (Hall 2 #11) hit a trey each to put Hall 2 comfortably in front at 68-41.
With the Hall 10 starters being worn out by the earlier quarters, Hall 2 decided to field in their reserves for most of the final quarter. They did a good job with defence and managed to keep Hall 10 at bay. The game ended with Hall 2 securing the IHG championship once again with a convincing 78-55 win.
Reflecting on the game, captain Keane Sim (Hall 10 #30) shared: “We knew we were going against a powerhouse in Hall 2, so we had a mindset where we went all out and had nothing to lose.”
He added: “For us to get this far with this squad and especially with juniors that just got started into the game, I’m very proud of them.”
Captain Jia Le (Hall 2 #17) commented: “I’m very happy that we won. We were really hungry and I’m glad we got what we came for.”
When asked about defending the championship title once more, he replied: “We don’t know for sure, but I feel that we must keep the tradition and remain powerhouses of IHG basketball.”
Scoring by Quarter
Hall 2 vs Hall 10
1st Quarter: 19-13
2nd Quarter: 29-20 (48-33)
3rd Quarter: 20-8 (68-41)
4th Quarter: 10-14 (78-55)
Top Scorers
Hall 2
Chia Zao Liang Lyon (#14) – 24 points
Cheong Rong Hao (#13) – 16 points
Hall 10
Toh Xuan Hao Sergul (#5) – 16 points
Keane Sim Jia Hao (#30) – 15 points
Hall 2 Roster
Pai Jun Yu, Kentley (#4), Fong Jen Yu, Aloysius (#8), Lim Bing Wen (#9), Wong Liang Hao Brian (#11), Cheong Rong Hao (#13), Chia Zao Liang Lyon (#14), Chong Wen Xuan (#15), Ang Jia Le (#17), Wil Cheng (#22), Patrick Gan Wei Kiat (#24), Ler Puay Him (#35), Kwan Jian Fu (#51)
Hall 10 Roster
Yeo Weisheng Elwin (#3), Toh Xuan Hao Sergul (#5), Hashen Singh Dhillon (#6), Ong Wen Zuo (#8), Tay Zester (#11), Low Qi Hui (#12), Wong Khai Kit (#21), Weng He Zhou (#23), Goh Edwin (#27), Keane Sim Jia Hao (#30), Zeng Guang Lin (#45), Chua Joo Han (#66)
More photos next page
Leave A Comment