Raffles Institution beat Mayflower convincingly in South Zone C Division basketball

Story by REDintern Shaun Neo. Photos by Daniel Ng.

A Mayflower player charges up the court. (Photo 1 © Daniel Ng)

CCAB, Friday, June 27, 2008 – Raffles Institution (RI) emerged the stronger team when they beat Mayflower Secondary 52-42 in the first round of the National C Division Boys South Zone Basketball Championship.

The match started with much intensity as the gap between the teams hardly exceeded three points. Mayflower’s #5 started the quarter strong, scoring the first seven points for his team. He played a pivotal role in the first quarter in keeping the score close despite his team’s numerous turnovers. As for RI, they were able to maintain composure, finishing the quarter with a lead of 12-11.

It was pretty much the same story for the second quarter. This time however, RI concentrated their defense on Mayflower’s #5 and stopped him from scoring. Fortunately, his teammates stepped up their game, allowing Mayflower’s #4 to contributing the second 3-pointer of the game.

RI maintained their game plan, dominating and chalking up points in the paint. Both team managed eight points in the 2nd quarter, with RI leading 20-19 at the half.

The difference came in the third quarter as RI started applying full-court pressure on the Mayflower team. RI’s strategy proved highly effective, sparking them on a 14-4 scoring run and increasing their lead to 11 points. The full-court strategy also proved to be Justin Chua’s (RI, #9) favourite strategy as he picked up his game and scored eight out of the team’s 14 points, all in transition. In response, Mayflower’s #11 scored from beyond the arc to end the quarter trailing 26-34. The RI full-court pressure was effectively shutting out Mayflower’s #5, preventing their opponents from narrowing the gap.

The fourth quarter seemed to be the beginning of an onslaught by RI but Mayflower fought hard and kept the gap to within 10 points. Despite the lead, RI could not relax as Mayflower were ready to capitalize on any opportunities to create a late game comeback. Mayflower’s #7 stepped up his game, scoring seven out of the 11 points earned in the last quarter alone. His 3-pointer after another by teammate #5 created an 8-2 Mayflower run to bring the gap to a mere six points. However, their efforts were in vain as RI’s Jordan Goh (#8) responded with four consecutive points to ensures his team’s victory.

Top Scorer:
Justin Chua (RI, #9): 14 points
Jordaan Goh (RI, #8): 14 points
Mayflower #5: 10 points
Mayflower #7: 11 points

RI’s Justin Chua streaks past the Mayflower defense during a fast break. (Photo 2 © Daniel Ng)

RI’s Jordaan Goh (#8) also played a key role in his team’s win. Though he was whistled frequently with travelling calls, he eventually came through with 14 points for his team. (Photo 3 © Daniel Ng)

Justin and Jordaan combined well to score 28 of their team’s 52 points. (Photo 4 © Daniel Ng)

Jordaan Goh of RI looks for a way past the Mayflower #5. (Photo 5 © Daniel Ng)

Note: If you recognize yourself or your team mates in any of the photos, feel free to leave the names behind in the comments section and we will update the captions accordingly.