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
KCP: 7 11 13 19
