B Division South Zone Round 2 Game 2: Raffles Institution vs Queenstown Secondary School (48-51)

Raffles Institution vs Queenstown Secondary School (48-51)

               It was the first quarter again. Despite telling ourselves not to fall behind in the first quarter like the previous two matches against Guangyang and Whitley, we did it again. The game started off with our 1-2-2 working horribly, no one was running the safety man and Queenstown grabbed hold of these mistakes made by us, scoring their fast breaks. Our offence was very poor in the first quarter as well, everyone was playing rashly, trying to drive inside despite of their zone defense. Our defense was also very loose, allowing them to just drive inside from the three point line. The opponent seemed to be playing a good game as they scored several and-ones and a three point despite our strong contest. Both teams were having foul trouble and the team fouls all went up to four. By the end of the first quarter, the opponent had outscored us by seven with the scoreline of 19-12.

               In the second quarter, things started to take a turn for the better. We stopped playing 1-2-2 full court pressure, resulting in Queenstown having less fast break chances. However our rebounding was poor despite us having a great height advantage over them. We allowed them to have several second chances in their offense whereas we were rather weak in offensive rebounds. However, our offense was running more smoothly and we managed to score two three pointers, bring down the point difference. Our defense was still very loose and we failed to close the first line of our match-up zone, letting their #9 drive in over and over again and scoring. By the end of the first half, we were merely trailing behind by three points. 

               As the third quarter began, tension started to build up. We were trying to close the gap while Queenstown was trying to widen it. Both teams were trying their best. The third quarter was closely matched. Amazingly, Queenstown scored three 3 pointers in a row but we stepped up to the challenge by scoring many shots from inside the paint, mainly via our post Danny. Though we did not manage to come back by the end of the third quarter, we were just behind by only four points. 

               Knowing the last quarter was the only chance we were left with to win this game, anxiety filled our hearts. Both teams were exchanging baskets and none of us was able to pull away from each other. Due to the foul trouble, our forward Jia Wei (#4) was fouled out and three others already had four fouls. With only around one minute on the clock and us down by one point, we knew this possession of ours would determine the outcome of this match. The ball was swung to the right winger, and the plan was to feed Danny. However he was pressure hard and were not able to swing the ball out to anyone. Unfortunately, after holding the ball without dribbling for five seconds, we lost this precious possession and the opportunity to win the match. A time-out was called by our side and the plan was to foul the ball-handler immediately after the sideline inbound, sending him to the free throw line. This worked out the opponent only managed to score his first free throw. This meant that if we were able to get the rebound off the second one, we still have a chance to score and bring this match to overtime. However, to our dismay, we lost the rebound. As we watched the opponent dribbling the ball around without attacking the basket, and the clock ticking down to zero, we had no choice but to foul him again. After scoring the first and missing the second, the result of the game was already set as there was only 0.7 seconds on the clock. 

               This loss was a surprise and unfortunately thing for us. Had we won this match, we would have had a 80% chance of going into the semis. Now that we had not, the chances of semis happening is very slim. As of now, all the teams in our group except Pei Cai (2-0) and Whitley (0-2) has a record of 1-1. 

               This match was a very poorly played match. It might be because of the fact that we were very lethargic having played a game only 2 days ago. But we must also consider the fact that the same thing happened to our opponents. Our rebound was very poor this game and 1-2-2 was extremely ineffective. Despite losing this match, we must still fight hard as there is still a chance for us to emerge into the semis. The next game against Serangoon Gardens definitely would not be easy and we must put in all we have if we want to get into the nationals.

Points by Quarter

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

       Raffles:                         12              13              10               13

       Queenstown:               19              09              11               12

B Division South Zone Round 1 Game 4: Raffles Institution vs Guangyang Secondary School (54-49)

Raffles Institution vs Guangyang Secondary School (54-49)

               Everything seemed to be in the undefeated Guangyang's favor as we stepped into the court, and thus fueled by the strong desire to win and advance into the second round, we proceeded with the tip-off.

               Despite losing the jump ball, we were able to regain the possession with a hard defense, forcing Guangyang to make a wrong pass. Guangyang put up an aggressive half-court 1-2-2 pressure and successfully stopped up from attacking the basket. We were having difficulties feeding the ball to our post, Danny (#10), and he was only able to score 2 points in the first quarter. As usual, the opponents were able to drive past our 2-2-1 pressure fairly easily, breaking the entire defense in a matter of seconds. Neither teams were able to get their offence going and the points remained at 0-0 for a few minutes. There were several easy baskets but we were not able to grasp these opportunities well and missed them all. Guangyang scored the first shot of the game by getting the rebound after missing their free-throw and making the shot. The main problem of the first quarter was that no one was running for safety man after missing the shot on the offence, allowing the opponent team to go for fast breaks and we ended up either fouling them or allowing them to score. We then continued to make many unnecessary turnovers from bad passes and Guangyang seized some of these chances by scoring the fast breaks. They also landed a three-pointer in their offence. By the end of the first quarter, they were able to keep us at only three points while they made twelve. 

               In the second quarter, both teams' offence started running smoothly. Guangyang had great team chemistry and were able to swing the ball swiftly around and break our defense. However we were also successfully cutting through Guangyang's 1-2-2 half court pressure and returned many baskets. Guangyang was generally scoring via pass and cutting while we were able to make one-on-one plays using our post, Danny. We ended the second quarter with a block by Yufan, which stopped their attempt in scoring a three point buzzer beater. We were able to outscore them by five points and were trailing by only four points by the first half.

               The third quarter did not go as well as the second, our defense was getting a bit lackluster and Guangyang had several easy drives. However, Danny stepped up to the challenge and put up an impressive display of skills, scoring ten out of the eleven points we made in the third quarter. The third quarter concluded with Guangyang stretching the lead to seven points.

               As the fourth quarter began, tension started to build up. We had three consecutive possessions in the beginning but we were not able to make a single basket. Danny were then able to make the first blood of the fourth quarter by scoring an under basket. Our forward, Jia Wei (#4), was able to score a free throw, further bringing down their lead to a mere four points. It was him again who then scored an amazing four point play, which made the bench and our supporters go into a frenzy as it meant that we were now tied at 38-38. We had our first lead (42-40) in the entire game after scoring two free throws, however we were not able to maintain that lead for long as Guangyang responded with a fast break, tying the game once again. After exchanging another two points, Jia Wei landed another three pointer. Sadly, Guangyang tied the game (47-47) once again after scoring a free throw and a deep two, both given to them free because of our mistakes. After another exchange of two points and little time on the clock, we decided to swing the ball around and if not able to score, head into overtime. As we held the ball, not making any moves towards the basket, Guangyang got anxious, which eventually lead to their loss. First, they fouled our vice-captain Yufan (#14), who made the first free throw but missed the second. However, Danny grabbed this rebound and put it back into the basket, drawing a foul. Though he did not land the free throw, we were able to get the rebound and pass it out to our point guard Marcus (#9). He was also fouled and made both free throws, which would be the last two points of the game. The game thus ended with us winning by five points, emerging as victors of our group. 

               We could not have won this game if not for Danny's and Jia Wei's great performance who scored 26 pts and 16 pts respectively. During the post-game team talk, it was reflected that the bench's cheering and encouragement also contributed a lot to our victory. Even though we were at a disadvantage in the first quarter, we did not give up and persevered, achieving the comeback in the last quarter. Having emerged as the overall champions of our group, our placement in the second round will be better. But we must not get complacent because of this win and train hard for a chance in the Top 4. 

Points by Quarter

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

       RI:                                 03              17              11               23

       GYS:                             12              12              14               11

               

B Division South Zone Round 1 Game 3: Raffles Institution vs National Junior College (51-24)

Raffles Institution vs National Junior College (51-24)

               This game against NJC was very crucial for both of the teams as both teams needed this win in order to advance into the second round. Thus we had prepared a lot for this game and put in tremendous effort in order to secure this win. After the tip-off, neither teams were able to get their engines pumped up and nobody was scoring for the first few minutes or so. However, we were able to find a way out of this stalemate with our vice-captain first knocking down a free-throw. Our offence then ran like a well-oiled engine and before we know it, we were already leading by 11 points by the end of the first quarter. The second quarter concluded with us easily outscoring NJC by another 8 points. 

               However in the third quarter, the tables turned as NJC started to break free of our full-court pressure easily, scoring many easy baskets. We also made several unnecessary fouls while trying to stop their lay-ups. These factors allowed NJC to score 12 points in the third quarter, while we only made 10 points. In the last quarter, the situation had gotten better but we still cannot stop the opponents from scoring. This could be due to our poor stamina as we had trained very little on stamina to begin with. Even though we did not stop them as effectively as before in our defense, we responded them by scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter, while NJC only scored 9. As the referee blew the final whistle, we emerged as victors, winning the game by a steady 27 points. 

               In general, we had a good game this time while NJC had a rather poor performance. There are still many areas for improvement for example how our rebound could be much better in the third quarter. We also have many more things to work on our full-court pressure as on several occasions, the opponent just drove past our pressure with ease. The next game against Guangyang will be critical as if we win, we will advance as the group champions but if we lose, there is a huge possibility that we would be knocked out in round 1. Guangyang currently has lost none of their games. 

Points by Quarter

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

       RI:                                 12              10              10               19

       NJC:                               1                2               12                9

B Division South Zone Round 1 Game 2: Raffles Institution vs Kuo Chuan Presbyterian (59-50)

Raffles Institution vs Kuo Chuan Presbyterian (59-50)

               After the tip-off, things went smooth-sailing for us as we knocked down 5 points in a row within the first 2 minutes and the opponent team had already committed 2 team fouls within the same period of time. However, our attempts to outscore the opponent were proved futile as they soon caught up to us and the 1st quarter ended with us tied at 7-7. Both teams had also committed 4 team fouls at the end of the 1st quarter. This was caused by our poor full court pressure. We did not double team and defend the opponent properly and made many unnecessary fouls while trapping them.  

               The second quarter continued without much action and the foul trouble continued to happen within both teams. But on the positive side, we managed to conclude the 1st half with a 6 point lead. It was in the 3rd quarter where we got pumped up and started to show more fighting spirit. Our offence went more smoothly and we were also playing more aggressively, contesting for rebounds and trapping more intensely. We also made less fouls compared to the first two quarters, whereas the opponent had already committed 4 team fouls within a short period of time. We grasped this opportunity well and drew many fouls from the opponent, stepping onto the free-throw line again and again. In fact, out of the 26 points we scored in the 3rd quarter, around half were made by free-throws. The 3rd quarter then ended with us having a steady lead of 19 points. 

               The final quarter was where things started to go downhill. Seeing the lead and thinking the win was probably already secured, players who were already lethargic might have gotten complacent too. With the opponent team playing full court man-on-man, our point guard was heavily pressured and being locked down. The rest of the team did not assist the point guard in advancing the ball and thus caused quite a number of turnovers and easy lay-ups for the opponent. Our defense also loosened up and the opponent penetrated our defense with ease in several occasions. The opponent managed to outscore us by 1 points in the last quarter. With the final whistle blow, the game concluded with us emerging victorious 59-50.  

               In general, the game was well-played. Offense were running smoothly and plays were put into use effectively. Our full-court pressure also improved and managed to trap opponents, denying them from advancing into half-court on several occasions. However, our defense could be done better as we let them score a total of 50 points. Our free-throw percentage were also slightly better but there are still rooms for improvement. The last quarter was very badly played as we allowed the opponent to almost catch up to us. In the next match, we would try to ensure consistency and not let the same mistake happen again. 

Points by Quarter

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

RI:                                 7               17              26               9
KCP:                             7               11              13             19