Raffles Institution vs ACS (Barker Road) (54-75)
In a rematch of the South Zone finals, we faced ACS once again for the 3rd time this season. When the game started however, we were a mess offensively as we committed silly mistakes and turnovers that lead almost always to fast break opportunities for the opponents. This prevented us from scoring on one hand while allowing ACS to streak ahead to a blazing 20-3 lead at one point in the first quarter.
The second quarter began and we finally started hitting some of our outside shots and drives to the hoop. But ACS stepped up to the challenge and poured in points as well to match our scoring output, allowing them to nurse a 16 point lead still entering the halftime break.
However, our efforts were valiant as we were unable to close the gap effectively as it seemed like every time we got on a little of a run, ACS would respond with some timely baskets and stop the run. This allowed them to maintain a 15+ point lead throughout most of the game and eventually the game ended as we fell to ACS by a final margin of 21 points.
Although our season has ended, we still had a crazy run and had many valuable experiences together as a team. Throughout this season, bonds within the team has undoubtedly grown stronger and we have learnt to lean on one another in the good times and the bad. We worked hard throughout the journey, shedding blood sweat and tears on the court together and enjoyed the fruits of our labour. We would like to sincerely thank all the old boys that came down to support us and cheer us on, giving us their valuable guidance and advice. It really meant a lot to the whole team and we learnt a lot every time you guys talked to us before, after and during the game. We would not have achieved what we had achieved without the phenomenal job that our teachers in charge have done as well as the work that our coach, Coach Lim, had put in to making sure that the team had discipline and worked hard towards our goal. Alas, we conclude this incredible season with a South Zone gold medal and a top 8 placing in the Nationals...
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
B Division Nationals Round 2 game 2: Raffles Institution vs North Vista Secondary (42-64)
Raffles Institution vs North Vista Secondary (42-64)
Points by Quarter:
1st-------2nd-------3rd-------4th
RI-------14--------8----------7--------13
NVS----18-------10---------12--------24
The game started off with both teams driving in and attacking the basket with much ease as we both ran our offense well, getting high percentage shots. We made use of our half court offense to get drives to the paint and one on one opportunities whereas North Vista had most of their points come off fastbreaks. It was more of the same in the 2nd quarter as we both continued to pour in points at a steady rate, neither side being able to pull away. After the first 20 mins, we were only down by 6 points.
However, it was the 3rd quarter once again which was our downfall as we started being extremely careless with the ball, turning it over at our own side of the court and giving them easy baskets as our defense could not run back in time. They also forced some of our turnovers by aggressively double teaming our players and covering passing lanes very well. This allowed them to outscore us by 5 points in the quarter and stretched their lead all the way to 11 points.
The onslaught continued as they also started crashing the offensive boards and getting many putbacks. These easy baskets allowed inside eventually blew the game wide open. While we did a good job protecting the 3 point line, making sure we limited the number of 3 point shots they made, we could not contain their drives as they were able to kick it out for 3 point shots immediately when their drives got covered. We had to pick our poison with their offense running like a well-oiled machine. Eventually their offense was too much for us to handle and they emerged victorious.
This loss has eliminated us from the Nationals for this year. However, we have not finished playing our games yet and will have a rematch once again against a familiar foe in ACS (Barker Road). Game will be played on thursday at 4pm as both us and ACS (Barker Road) have been eliminated from the Nationals with North Vista Secondary and Dunman Secondary proceeding on to the semi finals.
Points by Quarter:
1st-------2nd-------3rd-------4th
RI-------14--------8----------7--------13
NVS----18-------10---------12--------24
The game started off with both teams driving in and attacking the basket with much ease as we both ran our offense well, getting high percentage shots. We made use of our half court offense to get drives to the paint and one on one opportunities whereas North Vista had most of their points come off fastbreaks. It was more of the same in the 2nd quarter as we both continued to pour in points at a steady rate, neither side being able to pull away. After the first 20 mins, we were only down by 6 points.
However, it was the 3rd quarter once again which was our downfall as we started being extremely careless with the ball, turning it over at our own side of the court and giving them easy baskets as our defense could not run back in time. They also forced some of our turnovers by aggressively double teaming our players and covering passing lanes very well. This allowed them to outscore us by 5 points in the quarter and stretched their lead all the way to 11 points.
The onslaught continued as they also started crashing the offensive boards and getting many putbacks. These easy baskets allowed inside eventually blew the game wide open. While we did a good job protecting the 3 point line, making sure we limited the number of 3 point shots they made, we could not contain their drives as they were able to kick it out for 3 point shots immediately when their drives got covered. We had to pick our poison with their offense running like a well-oiled machine. Eventually their offense was too much for us to handle and they emerged victorious.
This loss has eliminated us from the Nationals for this year. However, we have not finished playing our games yet and will have a rematch once again against a familiar foe in ACS (Barker Road). Game will be played on thursday at 4pm as both us and ACS (Barker Road) have been eliminated from the Nationals with North Vista Secondary and Dunman Secondary proceeding on to the semi finals.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
B Division Nationals Round 2 Game 1: Raffles Institution vs Dunman Secondary (46-64)
Raffles Institution vs Dunman Secondary (46-64)
Points by Quarter
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
RI-----10-----17------10-----10
DSS---15------9------20-----20
The game started off with both teams trading baskets. We were able to control their halfcourt offense but had problems stopping their fastbreaks especially when we had committed a turnover or missed a shot. We also got strongly outrebounded by the opponents, who were very aggressive in crashing the offensive boards and this allowed them to get many many extra possessions. Despite this, we still held our ground and trailed only by 5 entering the 2nd.
The second quarter was when we got things going and found our rhythm as we boxed out the post players more effectively, while leaking out for fastbreaks and layups. The 3 point shot started falling for us as well and we caught up by the 4 minute mark of the 2nd quarter, eventually taking a 3 point lead into halftime as we lead 27-24.
However in the 2nd half, what caused us troubles in the 1st quarter came back to haunt us as we constantly gave up easy layups and failed to stop them from converting on their fastbreak attempts as they attacked the basket with much aggression. Their aggressiveness gave them many layups, drew fouls for them, and sometimes even got and ones. We were able to keep the gap and only trailed by 7 entering the 4th quarter, cutting it down to 4 at one point. However, we were unable to stop their fastbreak drives and missed some assignments in our rotations which left them open for layups. The game finally ended with us losing by 18, but it was definitely closer than the score shows.
With this loss, the next game against North Vista will be a must win in order to keep our hopes of entering the national semi finals alive. North Vista had just played their first game against ACS (Barker Road) today and came up victorious.
Points by Quarter
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
RI-----10-----17------10-----10
DSS---15------9------20-----20
The game started off with both teams trading baskets. We were able to control their halfcourt offense but had problems stopping their fastbreaks especially when we had committed a turnover or missed a shot. We also got strongly outrebounded by the opponents, who were very aggressive in crashing the offensive boards and this allowed them to get many many extra possessions. Despite this, we still held our ground and trailed only by 5 entering the 2nd.
The second quarter was when we got things going and found our rhythm as we boxed out the post players more effectively, while leaking out for fastbreaks and layups. The 3 point shot started falling for us as well and we caught up by the 4 minute mark of the 2nd quarter, eventually taking a 3 point lead into halftime as we lead 27-24.
However in the 2nd half, what caused us troubles in the 1st quarter came back to haunt us as we constantly gave up easy layups and failed to stop them from converting on their fastbreak attempts as they attacked the basket with much aggression. Their aggressiveness gave them many layups, drew fouls for them, and sometimes even got and ones. We were able to keep the gap and only trailed by 7 entering the 4th quarter, cutting it down to 4 at one point. However, we were unable to stop their fastbreak drives and missed some assignments in our rotations which left them open for layups. The game finally ended with us losing by 18, but it was definitely closer than the score shows.
With this loss, the next game against North Vista will be a must win in order to keep our hopes of entering the national semi finals alive. North Vista had just played their first game against ACS (Barker Road) today and came up victorious.
Monday, April 7, 2014
B Division Nationals Round 1 Game 3: Raffles Institution vs Anglican High (57-64)
Raffles Institution vs Anglican High (57-64)
Points by Quarter:
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
RI-----22------14------11-----10
AHS---23------9-------14-----18
The game started off with both teams having no trouble finding the basket at all as each team got off to a blazing start. Defense may have been an issue as while we were getting to the basket often, we also allowed many 3-point shots to go in. Anglican High scored 4 three pointers in the quarter and this kept them in the game as we were unable to bother the shooter enough for him to miss. The talent of their star player #6 was also on full display as he scored 9 points in the first quarter alone and was a big reason for their scoring output. Despite that, we kept the gap close and after the first only were down by a point.
In the 2nd quarter, we turned decided to shut down #6 by putting our forwards Shiva and Ivan on him. They took turns to stick to him and harassed him for the rest of the game as he got frustrated and could not receive the ball on many occasions, much less score. This change in strategy contained him for the rest of the game as after scoring 9 points in the first quarter, he scored only two field goals for the rest of the game. This allowed us to take a 4 point lead by the end of the half.
In the 3rd quarter, Anglican High decided to turn to other scoring options with much success as their point guard #5 successfully created opportunities for his teammates and also carried some of the scoring load. The other portion of scoring was handled by #11 who drained 3 three pointers in the game and ended up scoring a total of 17 points. We did not do a good job defending him properly and preventing him from getting points in this game. This allowed them to chip into the lead, but we still lead by one entering into the 4th quarter.
The 4th was when the wheels fell off for us as we got to the rim on countless occasions but just barely missed the layups that we had inside. This caused a lot of wasted possessions in which we could have scored on and gave the opponents more confidence in themselves as they eventually took the lead with about 4 minutes left in the game. With Anglican up by 5, we fought back hard, giving them all we could and cut the lead to 2 at one point. The lead from then on fluctuated between 2 and 3 for several minutes. However, we were unable to score in the waning moments of the 4th when they were up by 5 and had to resort to playing the foul game. To their credit, they were able to make their free throws and hence sealed the game by a final score of 64-57.
Although we lost this game, we would be moving on to the second round of the nationals as both us and Anglican High have emerged top 2 in the group. The following schools were in our second round draw:
Dunman Secondary
North Vista Secondary
ACS (Barker Road)
Although the matchups may be tough, we understand that nothing will come easy in the second round of the nationals no matter who we would have drawn as we will be going up against the other 7 of the top 8 schools in the whole of Singapore, fighting for a top 4 spot. We will not give up and fight hard in every game that we play and this surely will be a great experience for all of us. Now, we have once again found ourselves as underdogs and have nothing to lose...
Points by Quarter:
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
RI-----22------14------11-----10
AHS---23------9-------14-----18
The game started off with both teams having no trouble finding the basket at all as each team got off to a blazing start. Defense may have been an issue as while we were getting to the basket often, we also allowed many 3-point shots to go in. Anglican High scored 4 three pointers in the quarter and this kept them in the game as we were unable to bother the shooter enough for him to miss. The talent of their star player #6 was also on full display as he scored 9 points in the first quarter alone and was a big reason for their scoring output. Despite that, we kept the gap close and after the first only were down by a point.
In the 2nd quarter, we turned decided to shut down #6 by putting our forwards Shiva and Ivan on him. They took turns to stick to him and harassed him for the rest of the game as he got frustrated and could not receive the ball on many occasions, much less score. This change in strategy contained him for the rest of the game as after scoring 9 points in the first quarter, he scored only two field goals for the rest of the game. This allowed us to take a 4 point lead by the end of the half.
In the 3rd quarter, Anglican High decided to turn to other scoring options with much success as their point guard #5 successfully created opportunities for his teammates and also carried some of the scoring load. The other portion of scoring was handled by #11 who drained 3 three pointers in the game and ended up scoring a total of 17 points. We did not do a good job defending him properly and preventing him from getting points in this game. This allowed them to chip into the lead, but we still lead by one entering into the 4th quarter.
The 4th was when the wheels fell off for us as we got to the rim on countless occasions but just barely missed the layups that we had inside. This caused a lot of wasted possessions in which we could have scored on and gave the opponents more confidence in themselves as they eventually took the lead with about 4 minutes left in the game. With Anglican up by 5, we fought back hard, giving them all we could and cut the lead to 2 at one point. The lead from then on fluctuated between 2 and 3 for several minutes. However, we were unable to score in the waning moments of the 4th when they were up by 5 and had to resort to playing the foul game. To their credit, they were able to make their free throws and hence sealed the game by a final score of 64-57.
Although we lost this game, we would be moving on to the second round of the nationals as both us and Anglican High have emerged top 2 in the group. The following schools were in our second round draw:
Dunman Secondary
North Vista Secondary
ACS (Barker Road)
Although the matchups may be tough, we understand that nothing will come easy in the second round of the nationals no matter who we would have drawn as we will be going up against the other 7 of the top 8 schools in the whole of Singapore, fighting for a top 4 spot. We will not give up and fight hard in every game that we play and this surely will be a great experience for all of us. Now, we have once again found ourselves as underdogs and have nothing to lose...
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