U16 ISIBL RI 21-20 WRS

This match was a really close one. We started the match with Chun Cheong sinking his trademark jumper, and our confidence was relatively high. As already mentioned in the U19 report, their tactics for the U16 match was largely similar, with two post players coming to screen for the point guard. This was a pretty big issue for us in the 1st quarter, with us not communicating on defense and not warning Bao Kun about the oncoming screen. However, we slowly got used to their plays and were far more effective on defense. Still, WRS slowly built a lead as they rebounded harder than us and had many easy put-backs. On the other end of the court, they pressed us with a half-court man-to-man, which we found trouble breaking. There was a general lack of coming hard to the ball, as well as screens which could have helped break the defense.

In the 2nd half, all that changed when WRS changed into a less aggressive defense, and we were able to take advantage of it. We were able to find open shots, and were more aggressive when it came to driving towards the basket. Our defense was also much stronger, forcing turnovers and more importantly grabbing defensive rebounds. The weak-side man started to sink lower for rebounding (on Coach's instructions) and we slowly cut into WRS's lead.

And that led to the most intense last minute that we've had for a long time. Down by 1 point with approx 40 seconds left to go, we made a play to score 2 points, and defend hard to get the win. Benedict then drew a foul, scoring 1 freethrow and missing his second. Then, Mikhael grabbed the rebound and drew a foul of his own, also scoring only 1 free-throw. On the defensive end, WRS missed their first shot but managed to get an offensive rebound. However, they missed their subsequent shot and made a team effort to box out, and secured the rebound. Pushing forward, Yao Zhong drew another foul, and his freethrows could have sealed the game, but he missed both. Thankfully for us, by then there wasn't enough time for the WRS squad to react, and we won by 1 point.

MVPs:
RI:
Bao Kun
Chun Cheong

WRS:
Nicholas