Raffles Institution vs ACS (Barker Road) (68-58)
Points by Quarter:
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
RI--------9-------19-----26------14
ACS-----19------16------9------14
We faced ACS (BR) once again for the second time this season after losing the previous meeting by 3 points 48-51. We knew that if we were to take that extra step and claim the trophy, we had to plan well and pay attention to detail. Which was exactly what we did as we did a lot of research on our opponents, knew their tendencies, and planned our offense and defense.
The game started off as we traded baskets, eventually coming to a 6-6 tie. However, after that we started to get complacent with the ball and started turning the ball over regularly, while at the same time ACS was connecting on many of their shots and got to the basket for easy layups. They even got 3 three pointers in the first quarter alone,allowing them to pull away for their largest lead of the game and by the end of the first quarter, it was 9-19, . with us trailing by double digits.
However, we understood that the game was 40 mins long and that we still had a chance, we started to fight back slowly but surely and started to draw many fouls on their key players, forcing them to sit out. This allowed us to go on a little bit of a run as we got many free throw attempts and started to close the gap to 4 at one point, 25-29. However, once again ACS managed to pull away a little and at the end of the half, they were still up by 7.
In the 3rd quarter, the tables were turned as we started to force many turnovers from ACS and got tons of fast break points, while still getting fouled consistently. We attacked the basket the whole time and did not settle for outside shots, which was what gave us an advantage. After scoring 2 or 3 baskets in a row, the whole school supporting us started to get into it and roared everytime we hit a shot, giving us a huge morale boost while pulling down that of our opponents. Shao Jie was able to get to the basket at will while Jovi had a huge "And-one" which got the crowd to their feet. Tristen and Daran did a great job of finding the open man and controlling the pace. Probably the stand out of the game was our forward Shiva, who took on the assignment of guarding #11, their key player and starting point guard who was on fire the first half. Shiva stuck to him the whole of the second half and #11 was unable to score a point on him, allowing us to pull away. As we were able to force foul trouble from the other players, we got to the basket without resistance too. We eventually won the quarter 26-7.
In the 4th quarter, we came out with an extra sense of purpose knowing that we were up big and needed to maintain that lead. We just needed one more solid 10 minutes of playing to seal the deal. Hence, we came out with the same defensive intensity that we had in the 3rd quarter, while matching ACS point by point every single time they got close. At the 1:20 mark however, ACS scored 2 consecutive baskets and cut our lead down to 6. This was crunch time and we knew it. We responded with solid defense for the rest of the game as they didnt score after that point, while we went on to score another 2 baskets and eventually sealed the game.
This win marks the first time RI B Division basketball has clinched the South Zone championship since 2011 and the first time since 2012 that we got into the finals. The last 4 champions of the south zone since 2011 were RI, ACS, ACS and now RI again. We would like to thank all the supporters that came down to support us during the game as they were the ones that made a difference and pushed our morale sky high. As well as all our teachers in charge and coaches that came down today to cheer us on, giving us valuable advice every time they got the chance to do so. Our whole team really came in and filled up extremely well for each of us that went out and we supported each other throughout the whole game as we didnt miss a beat. Everyone played well and that was what made this win even more special.
This closes the South Zone Championships 2014. Up next, the Nationals....
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