Queensway pip Peirce to South Zone B Division basketball title (a reader’s perspective)

Story contributed by reader Kelwin Koh. Photos by Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports

Delta Sports Hall, Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - It was a date with destiny for the Queensway players, having come so near last year after suffering a gut-wrenching loss to Raffles Institution in the South Zone final. In their way this year was the Cinderella team of the South Zone, Peirce Secondary, but they managed to emerge victorious in the final of the South Zone B Division boys Basketball Championship, 55-52.

Both teams have undergone very similar ups and downs in the past seven years of South Zone competition, with Peirce arguably having slightly better results in some years but Queensway showing more consistency.

Both teams were unable to settle into any rhythm from the start, with Peirce shooters struggling to get free and Queensway suffering from a bad bout of rim envy. Several possessions in the first half saw Queensway garnering over four offensive rebounds in a possession before finally putting the ball into the hoop. It was a sign of things to come for Peirce and their inability to keep the taller Queensway players from the offensive boards came back to haunt them.

Led by the gutsy play of Johann Yeo (Queensway #10) and Ian Rafio Amatril (Queensway #13), Queensway made a run in the third quarter that saw them pull ahead to a double-digit lead. The Peirce players, to their credit, did not fold up and shrivel away but continued to pound away ball by ball.

Several strange calls by the referees led to the heckling by some spectators near the Peirce bench and for a moment it seemed as if the referee was about to give a technical to one of the spectators. That would have made an interesting incident in an otherwise frustrating game for both sides.

The fourth quarter saw Peirce go on a torrid run in the final two minutes of play, with timely interceptions by Hadi (Peirce #10) and Tan Bai Yong (Peirce #11), and strong man-to-man defense by Leong Wei Hao (#4) on Samuel Wee (Queensway #7) and Ian Rafio Amatril (Queensway #13).

Further buoyed by the loss of Johann Yeo (Queensway #10) after he fouled out, Peirce seemed to be on the verge of an upset but two quick turnovers in the final four second sealed their loss, 55-52.

With their win, Queensway Secondary have made it to the pinnacle of the South Zone Basketball ladder, something that Peirce and their erratic performance in the past years can hopefully achieve in another five to 10 years.

But there is hope on the horizon for Peirce, and with their presence in the zone final this year, hopefully more support will come from their school's management and they will eventually shake off their Cinderella moniker and become a true powerhouse in the zone.

The South Zone final was a fiercely-contested game that ended with a dream fulfilled and one left on the ground.

Quarter by Quarter Scores
Peirce vs Queensway
1st Q: 11-14
2nd Q: 8-15
3rd Q: 12-15
4th Q: 21-11
Final Score: 52-55

Peirce
Leong Wei Hao (#4)
Ong Kok Cong (#5)
James Gay (#6)
Low Qi Kang (#7)
Lowell Leong (#8)
Tan Kok Tiong (#9)
Muhd Nurhadi (#10)
Tan Bai Yong (#11)
David Tham (#12)
Cheng Kam Ler (#13)
Ng Jun Rong (#14)
Ong Ren Yong (#15)

Queensway
Vince Gan (#4)
Shaun Wee (#5)
Zhou Yu Hao (#6)
Samuel Wee (#7)
Shawn Lee (#8)
Samuel Koh (#9)
Johann Yeo (#10)
Huang Wei Ling (#11)
Timothy Wee (#12)
Ian Rafio Amatril (#13)
Michael Rafio Amatril (#14)
#Ng Jun Long (#15)

More photos in the gallery.

Go to the SCHOOLS FIXTURES & RESULTS page for more information.