RJC 45-39 NJC

Definitely not our best game.
Started slow trying to adapt to the rough plays.
They took the lead while we pondered over dubious calls.
Managed to adapt better towards the end and claw back from 7 points down.
Scored our three pointers when we needed to, forced some important TOs from 2-2-1.
We did it, we didn't give up.

Important thing is: We're through, our dream is alive.

DTFW; it goes on!

Commentary from Poh Kwang

If you are still not aware, RI/RJC is currently in the midst of inter-school competition for all 3 divisions. There are plenty of games to enjoy if you have time to go down and watch.  I went for the "A" Boys match this afternoon (during lunch time) gainst NJC.  Both teams lost to HCI earlier, so it is a do or die match.  Winner will move on to the next round and the end of the season for the loser.  A summary of the match (from my personal perspective and as much of the score that I can recall) as follows:

1Q : By the time I was there, it was near the end with NJC leading by 2.

2Q : NJC started the 2nd quarter better organised and was often quicker to the rebounds at both ends.  This led to many second and third opportunities.  On the other hand, our boys were taking ill-advised and challenged shots.  NJC began to build its lead up to 6, we were fortunate the lead was not more as NJC missed several clear lay-ups and under basket shots.  This notwithstanding, some good defensive work towards the end of the half saw us closing the gap to 3 but a silly foul at the buzzer gave away 2 unnecessary points.  Down by 5 at half time.

3Q : 3rd quarter was marred by poor finishings by both teams.  At the start of the quarter, NJC threatened to run away with the game but a couple of 3-pointers from Danny saw us closing the gap to 3 points.  We are set for a thriller in the 4th.

4Q : Both teams traded baskets early and NJC maintained a slender 2 to 5 point margin till mid quarter.  Then, a sudden change of fortune, good pressure defence forces several consecutive turnovers from NJC.  We were also making up grounds on the offensive glass where our backup center pull down a few offensive boards and getting fouled along the way.  A couple of free throws saw us leveling and eventually taking a 1-point lead with about 4 minutes left in the game.  Momemtum of the game has shifted and now NJC is chasing the game.  In the last 3 minutes, we caught fire hit 3 consecutive 3 pointers but each time we open up the lead, NJC will respond almost immediately.  To the boy's credit, we maintain our composure and killed the game from the charity strip wimnning the game with our biggest margin of 5. 

My evaluation of the match ("A" Boys, please feel free to disagree)

It was a tale of 2 halves.  If I am a neutral party, I would say it is a 50/50 game but a huge pity that NJC lost.  They looked more organised and purposeful especially in their attacks.  However, we made it up with tough defence, aggression and some timely shooting.  If NJ had capitalise on their advantage in the first half, by making some of those missed shots, we might have found the gap too big to overcome in the 4Q.  At the end, the biggest difference was we were a bit more hungry for victory.

What I like about the team, I see everyone on the court giving his 100%.  Team spirirt is also good.  This is extremely important, please keep this up.

What I dislike about the game, not enough communication on the court.  Earlier in the game, some players were Impatient and trying too hard in offence such driving into human traffic and taking shots off balance or with 2 hands in the face.  We were clearly more patient in the 2nd half, moving the ball and that led to good looks and baskets.

All the best in the 2nd round.  Hope to be able to make it for more games.......

RI 76-32 QSS

We knew today's team was a stronger team compared to the last two teams, but during mental preparation in school, warm up and stretching before coach arrived, most of us were fooling around, not doing our best nor focusing which probably explained for the points our opponent scored.

In the first quarter we started off with a bang, scoring many many points and disrupting the tempo of the opponent offense, limiting them to 26-3 in the first quarter. We played good defense, helping well and getting our momentum compared to our struggling opponents, and destroyed the opponent with a couple of fast breaks. The second quarter, our intensity dropped. We did not talk, did not play good defense and had a couple of turnovers, scoring only 11 points while the opposition scored 7.

The second half coach switched the defense to a 4-11 and 5, where we performed well, making turnovers, communicating well and scoring many easy baskets. However, the fourth quarter showed a slight lack of discipline of defensive shuffling, and we adjusted to the opponent's gun-and-run play, and we performed badly again. Nevertheless, our good standard performance for the first and third quarter sealed the game 76-32.

Every game we have to improve, because if not, we would not catch up. Every game we have to destroy bad habits, and practice new ones because if we don't do it now, things would never change.

Raffles Basketball FTW!
Now or Never

RI 54-73 HCI

RI's B Div Team lost the first match of the Nationals to Hwa Chong Institution 73-54. Our lack of fitness was evident towards the end of the match, where we were unable to keep up the pace and lost what was initially a very tight game.

Our next matches are against Temasek Secondary (next Friday) and Presbyterian High (following Wednesday).

We will play better.

RJC 65-21 ACJC

Whole bench got a run out in the RJ-AC derby,
Bench played pretty well, commendable hustles and effort.
Team goal would be to recover physically from the match with HCI,
And also stay healthy & injury free for Monday's crunch tie.
DTFW,
PS: Still remember to die for each other out there.

RI 103-8 BSS

In the game played today at ccab, 3.30pm, RI C division beat Bartley Secondary school by a overwhelming scoreline of 103-8!

Today, our defense was good, although we did make a few errors which can be avoided, and also some of us did not follow to instructions clearly, and the 8 points the opponent scored could have been stopped. We played a 3-11, where we allowed the ball to be inbounded but later force the ball handler to use his weak hand, which helped us create the fast break opportunities. In the end, we achieved our team goal of not letting the opponent score more than 4 points per quarter, and we're thoroughly satisfied.

A great morale booster to our team, we promise that we would push our boundaries and match up to the powerhouses soon!

Raffles Basketball FTW!
DTFW

RJC 58-63 HCI

Fought hard, didn't give up, but still didn't play to our full potential yet.
Need to cut down turnovers, make free throws, get defensive rebounds.
Next up: ACJC; but every game is against HCI. It is why we train so hard.
DTFW, one step at a time.

BTW our name will remain as RJC and not change to RI(JC) because it is ugly.

RI 73-21 Bendemeer Secondary

iToday starts of our "C" division season 2009!

The match was held at CCAB at 345pm, and we went there early, did our mental preparation and when coach came, most of the team said there were at optimum performance for our very first match.

In the first quarter, we played a 2-11, before quickly changing to 4-11 after a few minutes. We made a few mistakes on defense, when the last man did not their roles properly and allowed the opponent to have a shot at offense. On offense, we played an inside game, with Chng and Chun Cheong tearing apart the defense and Alex making strong drives to the basket, ending the first quarter 2-18. The second quarter we switched to a 3-2 zone, and where our mistakes showed from not communicating, allowing Bendemeer Secondary some open shots, before switching back to a 5, where we maintained the intensity of the first quarter, ending the first half 5-33.

The second half we managed to maintain our intensity and we caused many turnovers. However, we did allow the opponent some easy baskets, and some of our players did not mark their man properly. However, we ended the game well 73-21 in our favour.

A good morale booster for our match, and a job well done to Alex, who scored the game high 17 points. Even though we did not achieve a century scoreline like our B Division, this will only mark the beginning of our C division campaign.

Raffles Basketball FTW!
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.