C Division Nationals Round 1 Game 1

Raffles Institution vs Anglican High School (54-55)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th

9--------11-------8------26------- Raffles Institution

20--------8-------17-----10------- Anglican High

In this game against Anglican High, we got off to a rough start, trailing double digits by the end of the first quarter. This carried on throughout the 2nd and 3rd quarters as we were unable to find any rhythm, and they pulled the gap open to a 17 point lead by entering into the 4th quarter. Just as everyone thought that all hope was lost, RI went on a furious rally, and by the 2 minute mark in the 4th, took the lead for the first time all game. This was followed by a back and forth one and a half minutes where we traded baskets, eventually ending up in RI leading by 1 with 10 seconds left in the game. After getting the rebound, the ball was fired up to their key player #8 and he dribbled down the court and shot a floater over 3 of our defenders in the lane. We watched as the ball was in the air and as the buzzer sounded, went off glass, rattled for a while in the rim and eventually went down. The basket was ruled good and they had won the game. It was definitely a heart breaking loss for us. One thing that we have to work on is our under baskets and our free throws. We missed at least 15 free throws as a team in the game and had we converted on them, we could have made a difference in the outcome of the game. There were also so many easy chances under the basket that we all were unable to convert. We really have to make sure we make our layups as chances like these are unable to come by. On the bright side however, we showed the true Rafflesian spirit as we fought back furiously from being down by 17 in the 4th quarter which was no easy task. This is definitely a credit to all our players as we all contributed in this rally and we showed what our team was really capable of. If we continue to play like this, it would definitely take a lot out of our opponents to take us down. It was definitely a disappointing end to what was an incredible rally, but we should be encouraged by this game and bring our best effort against Unity Secondary this coming Wednesday.

C Division 3rd and 4th Placing Match

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th

17-------9------14------12-------Raffles

13------10-------7------14-------Fairfield

In this game against Fairfield, we did not have much trouble scoring the ball as we used our height to our advantage. However, our defense was our downfall as we did not closeout on their forwards and point guard, giving them wide open looks at the rim, and knocking their 3 pointers down. This was what kept them in the game throughout this whole match. At halftime, the game was still hanging in the balance, with RI only leading by 3 points, 26-23. But it was another story in the 3rd as we were able to pull away and extend our lead, not failing to return the favour when we were scored on. As the fourth went on, we thought we had the game, but one key turnover and breakaway layup brought Fairfield within 4 points, 48-44 with 54 seconds left to play. In the next possession, we were unable to get the basket, but stole the ball not long after they got the rebound as they could not hang on to it and scored a layup, pushing our lead to 6 points. Finally, they went for a 3 but could not get it to fall, and we secured the rebound. When they fouled us to stop the clock, we converted on both our free throws and iced the game. This was a very exciting game, but on the downside, it proves that we have a lot to work on if we want to go far in the nationals. We cannot assume that our opponents are unable to shoot it from behind the arc, and just leave them wide open. We have got to open our eyes and look for both our low and high posts,  not only our low post. We must learn to slow the pace down and not be too rushed as if we are too rushed, we will get very tired and at the same time, would not be able to get any shots to fall. We did rebound the ball quite well and were able to get some offensive rebounds when our teammates missed. We escaped with the win, but definitely have to work harder as the nationals approach. This game was our last game of the 2012 C Division South Zone Championships and the win secured us the 3rd place.

C Division Semi Finals

Raffles Institution vs Catholic High (43-60)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th
4--------19-------4------16------- Raffles
7--------22------19------12-------Catholic High

This game was a tale of two halves. We came out keeping the score very close throughout the first 2 quarters as we were able to always have an answer for whatever they threw at us. Our defensive intensity was turned up a notch in the first half as we were able to constantly communicate and work out the 2-3 zone that we were running well. We were able to keep the score so close in the game as we put in a collective effort in scoring the points. Many of our players were able to make the score sheet and provide the team with solid contributions. However in the 3rd quarter, the wheels fell off for us. We dug ourselves a big hole in this quarter and erased any chance of us winning the game. Ironically, it was when their key player, #15 was subbed out that they made a run with their bench providing them with a great boost. As the game continued, we gradually grew tired and stopped communicating on the defensive end of the floor. This is not good and we must definitely learn to communicate for the whole game and not just for 2 quarters. Turnovers killed us in this game. In the 3rd, there were some possessions where we were not able to bring the ball pass half court without getting the ball stolen by the opponents, allowing them to go for easy layups with no contest. This was largely due to the fact that the point guard was being pressured by the opponents and the only person who were supporting him was the in-bounder. From now on, forwards have to make a constant effort to go to the back court to support our point guard when he brings the ball up the court. That way, our turnover number will definitely be lower which would without a doubt make a difference. We rebounded the ball well in this game as we were very aggressive on the glass. We were able to hold their key players #7, #12, and #13 to 4 points, 0 points and 4 points respectively which was quite well done. The reason why #12 was scoreless was probably because he was thrown of rhythm as he had 4 fouls even before halftime. We got #15 into foul trouble as well with 4 fouls, but were not able to foul him out. We could not contain #15's scoring as he dropped 30 points on us, half the team's points, using his supreme height advantage to turn around and put it high off the glass for easy buckets over our defense. Our posts did do a good job of defending him, denying him the ball and making him take some bad shots, but sometimes, there is just so much we can do against his skill, height and uncanny athleticism. We will be vying for the 3rd place tomorrow and will play hard to gain an advantage in our nationals coming up.

C Div Round 2 Game 4

Raffles Institution vs Peirce Secondary (38-18)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th
9--------13-------2-----14------ Raffles Institution
4---------8--------2-----4------- Peirce

For this game against Peirce, we finally came out of our first quarter woes, keeping the score close throughout the first few minutes of the first quarter, before finally pushing our lead to 5 at the end of the quarter. We never lost this lead as we went on to win the game. However, our 3rd quarter was not well played at all. We only were able to score 2 points which was the smallest number of points that we had scored in a quarter ever in this season. This was largely due to the fact that we rushed the ball way too much and went all the way even though the opponents had 3 players back already. We must learn to slow down and analyse the situation before making decisions and not bull-doze our way into their defense and throw away our possession. Another thing that was not really well done was our communication when our teammates got screened. Our opponents ran a play where they would set a double screen for their point guard and due to our lack of communication, it worked quite well for them as they got very near the ring, but fortunately for us were unable to finish. We rebounded quite well in this game which was vital as we allowed very few second chances for our opponents, but we still have to always remember to help out on defense when our opponents are driving on our teammates. The person defending the ball man has to make an effort to slide with his man as this would make it even more difficult for his man especially when the help comes. We fed the ball into our posts often in the second half, and with their height advantage, they were able to get whatever they wanted in the paint. We still missed a great deal of lay ups though, and this is something that we have to continue to work on if we want to get better as we definitely have the height, but have to make sure we seize the opportunity and put the ball in properly. With this win, we are in the nationals and zonal semi finals and will face Catholic High on Monday. We have to lay it all out on the court on Monday as this will probably be the greatest and toughest challenge in our zone that we have to overcome. We need to bravely take on the challenge and not feel that we are inferior to them if we want to win the game and enter into the finals.

C Div Round 2 Game 3

Raffles Institution vs Pei Cai Secondary (32-38)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th
7--------7-------10-------8-------RI
17-------7--------4-------10------Pei Cai

Our 1st quarter woes finally killed us as we dug a deep hole in the first quarter against Pei Cai and were never really able to come back. This is the third game in a row where we have trailed by a large number in the first quarter and although we were able to get away with it the previous two times, we could not do it against Pei Cai as they were considerably stronger than any other opponent that we had faced. We fought hard from the 3rd quarter all the way until midway through the fourth where we were able to overcome our deficit and take a 2 point lead. However, that lead was quickly gone as we were unable to contain them on the defensive end of the floor. This was what killed us. We cannot dig ourselves a big hole and expect us to always come out from it. We were chasing the whole game and this wore us out. Our defense let us down as we allowed many layups for the opponents instead of forcing them to take late in the shot clock perimeter shots that have a lower chance of getting in. We missed quite a bit of layups today and although there might have been contact, we still should find a way to sink the basket as we do not always find ourselves so close to the rim. We definitely have to communicate on the defensive end of the floor better as we continually tried to switch our defensive assignments among ourselves and this resulted in many plays where we would find one guy wide open under the basket. Overall we didn't play that bad as we could contain their key players, giving #8 and #13 4 fouls each and limiting the number of shots that #9 the sharpshooter took. This was a valuable learning experience. Although we are all very disappointed with ourselves and know that we could be sitting at home right now with the win, we must not let this one loss affect our performance in the next game against Peirce where we have an advantage, but definitely cannot take any chances. What is done is done. Even if we are to face Catholic High in the semis, as coach said C Div is very unpredictable. If we are telling ourselves that we would lose even before the match starts, we would lose the game. We have just have to play hard and with confidence in every game. No team is unbeatable for sure in C Div. Hopefully we are able to overcome our first quarter woes in the next game and find the confidence that we have all been lacking.

C Div South Zone Round 2 Game 2

Raffles Institution vs Serangoon Gardens (43-33)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th
6-------13------17-------7-------Raffles Institution
7-------10-------5-------11-------Serangoon Gardens.

In this game against Serangoon Gardens, we got off to a very bad start once again trailing 7-0 in the opening minutes of the first quarter. We were eventually outscored in the first even after a 6-0 run of our own, 7-6. In the 2nd quarter, it continued to be a back and forth game as the score was still close at halftime, with RI only up by 2. Finally in the third, we were able to pull away for good, withstanding some late runs by the opponents in the fourth. We were able to somewhat contain the drives and bunny-hops by their key player #8 as he was only allowed to bunny-hop in once in the entire game, ending up in him falling down and a foul called on us. He did not dare to come in after that and some of the credit definitely goes to our improved 2-3 zone defense with help on both sides. By right we should have won this game by a convincing scoreline, but we constantly allowed our opponents to rush in for offensive rebounds. We also were unable to convert on easy baskets near the hoop which might have made a difference in the scoreline. A great deal of the opponents points came from fast breaks by the opponents, most of them scored by their key player #8 as he went coast to coast numerous times for an easy layup. Even when their other key player #9 was not on the court after suffering an injury to his leg in the first, we were unable to effectively pull away against #8 only. If #9 had not gotten injured in the first, the outcome of the game might not be like this. This shows that we definitely have a lot of room for improvement if we have our eyes on being the south zone champions. This game was very uncharacteristic of us, and hopefully in the next key game against Pei Cai Secondary, we would be able to play much better.

Raffles Institution vs St Joseph's Institution (International)

Raffles Institution vs St Joseph's Institution (International)  72-14 (First Round)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th
16------18------20------18-----Raffles Institution
4--------4--------6-------0-----SJII

For this game against SJII, we came out and played strong, not allowing our opponents to score double digits in any quarter while we scored more than 15 points in each quarter. The main story of this game was about the slippery floor as it had just rained and there were a lot of complains. However, we should not use this as an excuse. We were constantly slow to keep up with our opponents driving to the basket or going for fast breaks and ended up in them drawing the foul on us. On the bright side however, we were able to use our size to our advantage and constantly get the ball down low to our posts so that they can go for easy baskets. We also crashed the boards well, allowing very few second chance buckets for our opponents. This game was well fought and hard played, but this is not a game where we were able to see where we stand and we must continue to work hard so that we will be able to face skilled and better opponents when we get deeper into the competition.

Raffles Institution vs St. Andrew's Secondary

Raffles Institution vs St. Andrew's Secondary (62-31)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th
13------11------15------29-------Raffles Institution
11-------5-------5--------9-------St. Andrew's Secondary

We started off really poorly in this game against St. Andrew's, allowing them to go on an 8-0 run to start the game in the first quarter. This was largely due to the fact that we were not confident in ourselves at the start of the game. However in the later part of the first, we were able to catch up and go on a run of our own, claiming the lead. The most serious problem with our performance in this game was our fouling. We constantly reached in to try to steal the ball and did not slide with them enough to beat them to the spot, resulting in us being called for blocking and reach-in fouls. This got us into the penalty really early in the quarter, and if we do this against stronger teams, it would definitely cost us the game. Also, the defense at the help side has to remember to always help out on the ball man, or else without help, there will be a clear way to the basket for the opponents. Despite our sloppy start, we played and fought hard for the rest of the way, building on our lead with every quarter that went by. Unlike the previous game against Guang Yang where we became complacent in the second half, we fought even harder, holding them to single digits in both the 3rd and the 4th and this allowed us to reach the target set by our coach of scoring 60 points. It is a good thing that we were able to hit the target set by our coaches and hopefully give us momentum into the next 3 games.

Raffles Institution vs Guang Yang Secondary

Raffles Institution vs Guang Yang Secondary (53-35)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th
12------17------12------12-------Raffles
6--------8-------10------11-------Guang Yang

Guang Yang was our last opponent for round one and both schools were fighting for the top place in the group. Although both teams would get into the second round anyway, we still took the game very seriously. However, most of us were nervous as we knew that Guang Yang would definitely be better than the previous three schools that we had met and as a result, we did not play properly and had unnecessary turnovers. The score in the 1st quarter was thus quite close at 12-6. However in the second quarter, we were all warmed up and started to pull away, creating a 15 point separation between ourselves and Guang Yang and held the lead throughout the rest of the way. Though we won, it was worth noting that in the 3rd and 4th quarters, we only managed to outscore them by 2 points and 1 point respectively. This was disappointing as our school is known for fighting all the way to the end and never giving up. We seemed to relax a little during the 2nd half which should not be the case. We did well on our perimeter shooting for this game as well as we were able to score 5 three pointers, which was the most we have ever scored in one game in the first round. This game helped us gain some confidence on our perimeter shooting. It was a good game, but we are now entering the second round where things would not be as easy and we cannot afford to be complacent.

Raffles Institution vs Kuo Chuan Presbyterian

Raffles Institution vs Kuo Chuan Presbyterian (75-9)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th

15------22------15------23-----Raffles Institution
2--------0--------2-------5-----Kuo Chuan

This was a very one-sided game as well as we blew past Kuo Chuan. However, we were unable to reach the target set by our coaches to score 80 points before the game ended which was quite disappointing. We were called for a lot of fouls in this game as we were too aggressive on our defense, constantly hand-checking our opponents and creating unnecessary contact. This may cost us a lot of we do not learn as against better and stronger opponents, those fouls could put them in the bonus and give them free throws which may very well cost us the game. The first quarter was not very well played as we only scored 15 points which was not up to expectations. We have to do a better job of remembering to deny our man from getting the ball when our teammates are laboring, pressuring the ball man. If we do not deny our man from getting the ball, all the hard work put in by our teammate in pressuring the ball will go down the drain. Denying the ball can allow us to get deflections off the bad passes by the opponents when they are under pressure. Once again this game was not really able to give us an idea of how good or bad we are, and we should not be complacent as we continue to compete because our opponents would only get better and better.

Raffles Institution vs Bukit Merah Secondary School

Raffles Institution vs Bukit Merah Secondary (91-4)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th
30------25------15------21-----Raffles Institution
0--------2--------2-------0------Bukit Merah Secondary

This game against Bukit Merah was pretty one sided as we led throughout the whole game and never looked back. However, we have to work on our perimeter shooting as our percentage was really bad only making 2 three-point shots throughout the whole game in numerous attempts by different players. Our defense was well done in the first half, not allowing any shot attempts from the opponents and getting many deflections and steals. However, we have to learn how to pressure the ball better and not just stand there and watch as the first round does not have any shot clock. Thus if we do not pressure the ball handler, they will be able to take their time, look around for teammates and think about how to get by our defenders. Overall this game was well played, but does not prove anything as we were against a weaker team in our zone. This definitely does not mean that everything will be smooth sailing throughout the whole competition and we have to be ready to face tougher opponents.