This was the very last game of the tournament, and we needed a win in order to receive the silver medal. Also, this would be the last game the sec 2s in this team would be playing for a long long time, and we tried to get more play time for everybody.
But did we deserve it?
We started off brilliantly, running our play 13 extremely well and on fire, Bao Kun knocked down three three-pointers in that quarter alone. We also saw a stellar free throw performance from Mark at the free throw line, showing superb concentration everytime he did his free throw routine. On the defensive end however, we could have been a little tighter, more aggressive and well let their star player no. 10 drive us continuously, doing many drive and dishes to number 6 and 11, ending the fourth quarter with only a 4 point lead even with a marvelous shooting performance.
The second quarter saw the sec 2s come in, but just like the previous match, the wings did not support the point guard and it was difficult to pass to the wing. Pathetically, the only time they scored was when the very first time we executed our play, Wee Xuan drove through the middle to get the only two points earned by executing the play. Fortunately, Nicholas salvaged the situation by knocking down his first three pointer of his career at the shot clock buzzer. Sadly, there was just too much mishandling from the high post who received the ball at the top of the key, perhaps due to inexperience and unable to pass through the low post cutting up to the high post, resulting in turnovers that if not for our hustle could have killed us all. Defensively, we were horrible, especially the man on no. 10. The opponents were exceptionally good in running shots and still there was no help side, destroying the hard-earned lead we had from the first quarter. The sec ones came back into the game and luckily, engaged fast breaks and ran the plays properly to give us a three point lead at the end of the first half.
During the second half, we engaged them, exploiting the fact that they had limited number of players and pushed the momentum of the game quickly. They also had a lazier post player, and we sent chun cheong to try and post him up whenever possible. Also, during the quarter, we also supported one of our sec one wings, Daryl, who is unconfident about taking his shots and we got him to take a three point shot after 2 tries! Slowly, in the fourth quarter, we substituted the bench more and we managed to handle the press well, but due to over dribbling by our sec 2 point guard we failed to get the last shot off.
After the match, there was also a three point tournament contest. Initially, Mark, Yao Zhong and Ming Jun agreed to take part in it but Mark backed out last minute, saying that he was off form that night. Bao Kun took over and miraculously, knocked down 5 shots without any warm up. Yao Zhong and Ming Jun also knocked down three each but was unfortunately knocked out due to the fierce competition. In the end, Bao Kun received a third place prize for his shooting. We also got second overall for the entire tournament, first being Paya Lebar CSC.
With that, that wraps up the U14 tournament! Thanks to the effort everyone has put it, and everyone who has participated in the series of matches. I believe that by sticking together throughout the competition, everyone has matured to become a better player in his own right, such as Zong Tai's improved defense, Ming Jun's better offensive awareness, Mark's impressive free throw percentage, etc. It was a fun and memorable one, and I believe everyone has enjoyed themselves very much. A very good job to everyone, especially daryl for boosting his confidence to take a shot. For the sec ones, even though this may be the end of the tournament, it merely marks a milestone in your journey. You still have much more to learn, much more time to improve and even though we all want to win, it matters that we earn something intangible in the process, and that's the bonds, the experience, which I believe, no medal or trophy can ever give the same satisfaction. Keeping working hard towards your goals, and hope that you guys do your best for your matches to come, never giving up and clinching the national champions title.
For the sec twos, these will be the last matches we will be playing for a long time. I know that we didn't fare to well in this tournament, and I've got to say, we really fared badly in the last two matches. Well, we saw it for ourselves, the sec ones are doing much better than us and we can't say that we're not disappointed, so I guess it's time we started changing our attitude. Doesn't matter whether we make the B div team or not, matters most that we just keep improving ourselves because playing your best, giving all out on the court, ready to die for each other, and that's probably the only way for us to enjoy the game.
Good job everyone, now, let's take a break from the hectic schedule of the matches and prepare for training in the upcoming weeks. Enjoy your holidays too!
MVPs:
(RI)
Bao Kun
Mark Khoo
(East View)
No. 10
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