NYJC close out A Division girls basketball campaign with win over SAJC

Story by reader Erwin Wong. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports.

Singapore Basketball Centre, Friday, May 8, 2009 - Both teams were out of the running for semi-final qualification, and there seemed little to play for. Yet both the St Andrew's Junior College and Nanyang Junior College A Division girls basketball teams played the game in the right spirit and gave their best for their 40 minutes on court.

When asked how she motivated her players coming into this game, NYJC captain Ng Pin Li said, "We were playing for pride, and so were our opponents. We wanted to give our best for this final match of the season, and I thought that we all did so."

For the record, NYJC won the match 45-33 to finish third in Group X, behind runaway group leaders Hwa Chong Institution and Raffles Institution.

The first quarter featured 3 strong runs from both teams. NYJC scored 4 straight points to start the game, but Lee Wan Ting replied with 4 of her own in a 7-0 SAJC run. NYJC then ended the period strongly as a Eunice Pang layup and Fong Jia Qi offensive put-back wrenched the lead back for them, and NYJC led 8-7 after 10 minutes.

There were 3 ties of score in the second period, the last of which was at 14 all. But Nanyang broke the game open with an 11-4 run to lead 25-18 at half-time. Cassandra Chua scored all 6 of her points in the decisive rally.

Priscilla Ho then extended the NYJC lead with a rare 4-point play to begin the second half. She then streaked ahead unchecked, latched on to an inbounds pass from her own defensive court, and converted the open layup. A baseline jumper from Yeo Hui Ting then jacked the lead up to 33-18, and SAJC went into the final period of their 2009 campaign trailing 35-22.

Wan Ting and Liu Xia Yu reduced the deficit to single-digits early in the final period, but SAJC could only pull to as close as 31-39 after a mid-range jumper from Erina Mulyadi with 2:15 to go. Neo Kai Xi restored the double-digit lead with a driving layup, and the final whistle sounded soon after.

SAJC captain Jasmine Teo lamented on their performances in the early rounds, saying, "It was our fault we did not top the table in the first round, and we ended up in a tough group in the quarter-finals. However, we have learnt throughout this year's campaign that teamwork is the most important."

The JC 2 student will now concentrate on her studies as she prepares for her year-end GCE ´A' Level examinations, but promises to continue to train with the junior players in the team.

As will TJC captain Pin Li, who said, "It is a tradition that the NY seniors will come to train with the juniors. They will be the ones leading the team next year, and we hope we will come back and cheer them on when they play in the semi-finals."

SAJC lineup:
#4 Erina Mulyadi
#5 Crystal Toh
#6 Constance Ng
#7 Lee Wan Ting
#8 Lee Sin Yee
#9 Hasyna Neo
#10 Jasmine Teo
#11 Chermaine Koh
#12 Loh Yu Hong
#13 Priyanka Madan
#14 Daphne Khoo
#15 Liu Xia Yu

NYJC lineup:
#4 Eunice Pang
#5 Ng Pin Li
#6 Au Lee Chia
#7 Priscilla Ho
#8 Cassandra Chua
#9 Ng Hui Qing
#10 Fong Jia Qi
#11 Jacqueline Lui
#12 Lim Hui Ling
#13 Michelle Tan
#14 Yeo Hui Ting
#15 Neo Kai Xi

Scoring breakdown by quarter:
SAJC v NYJC:
1st Q: 7-8
2nd Q: 11-17
3rd Q: 4-10
4th Q: 11-10
Final score: 33-45

Leading scorers:
Lee Wan Ting (SAJC) 16 points
Priscilla Ho (NYJC) 10 points
Eunice Pang (NYJC) 10 points