C Division Nationals Round 1 Game 2

Raffles Institution vs Unity Secondary (46-56)

In this game against Unity, we fought very hard, knowing that we had to win this game in order to have a chance of advancing to the second round. In the first half, we were playing great basketball, shooting with confidence and putting in effort at the defensive end of the floor and fighting for rebounds. The score was very close in the first, 11-10 Unity up, but we were able to fight back in the 2nd quarter, taking a 7 point lead 20-13 at one point in the second. However, they were able to close the half well and in the third quarter, we constantly allowed them to get easily layups against us and kept fouling them, sending them to the line numerous times in the opening minutes and this allowed them to take the lead. While they were scoring with efficiency, we on the other hand were struggling with our offense, not getting a basket until mid way through the 3rd quarter. We allowed them to make quite a number of their threes and have to do a better job closing up on them on defense. The main thing that made our offense struggle in the 3rd and 4th quarters was their defense where they were constantly pressuring the ball man and denying players the ball, finishing up the possession by successfully boxing out and making sure that we had no second chances. After snatching the rebound, they used the speed of their two key players #7 and #5 to rush down the court for a fastbreak layup. This is definitely one point that we can learn from them. This defense made us panic a lot as they had their hand in our face when we got the ball almost all the time and in the end, we made a lot of rushed and bad passes to our teammates, and were impatient, not waiting for the offense to set up and not looking for open teammates. We still have to remember to call our teammates name if when we want the ball or are open as sometimes they might not be able to see us and thus it will be up to us to alert them. They eventually pulled away in the fourth as they won the game by 10 points in the end. Although we lost this game, we definitely learned a lot and gained lots of experience that we can apply to our game further down our basketball road.

C Division Nationals Game 3

Raffles Institution vs Christ Church (49-24)

Points by Quarter:
15-----15-----9-----10-------Raffles
6-------5-----11-----2--------Christ Church

In this game against Christ Church, we were able to get off to a good start and early lead, and were able to get a 9 point advantage by the end of the first quarter. We never lost this lead and went on to get our first win in this year's nationals. We were able to drop the ball in to our posts to allow them to get layups better in this game in comparison to the other games. Every single one of the members in the team made a solid contribution to lead us to this win, whether it being securing our defensive rebounds, fighting hard for offensive rebounds, or stepping up to score points to help the team. Overall, everyone helped one way or the other. If we play good basketball like this more often in the future, we would be a challenge to defeat. However, the 2 players that are at the top of the key when we are doing 2-3 zone defense have to make sure they slide more and follow the cutter or else they would get into our paint with ease and this would cause them to draw the foul from our teammates which could be crucial as we cannot afford to give up silly fouls. Today was a negative example as we constantly fouled them sending to the line very often. Also, although Christ Church was unable to sink a single one of their 3-point shots, we allowed them to take way too many and we were just fortunate that they did not go in. We need to close up properly on them and put our hands up so that they will think twice before taking the shot. But anyhow, this whole season was a great run and I am sure that every single one of us enjoyed it thoroughly. We would not be advancing on to the next round as we ended up with a 1-2 win-lose record. Nonetheless, it was a very fun and meaningful experience for all of us and we will continue to work hard for future seasons. Special thanks to our coaches for their invaluable guidance and support and as well as our teachers in charge who always were there to cheer us on. We would like to thank all the members of the Raffles Basketball family who came down to support us in many of our games as well. It would not have been possible for us to come this far without all of your support!

C Division Nationals Round 1 Game 1

Raffles Institution vs Anglican High School (54-55)

Points by Quarter:

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

9--------11-------8------26------- Raffles Institution

20--------8-------17-----10------- Anglican High

In this game against Anglican High, we got off to a rough start, trailing double digits by the end of the first quarter. This carried on throughout the 2nd and 3rd quarters as we were unable to find any rhythm, and they pulled the gap open to a 17 point lead by entering into the 4th quarter. Just as everyone thought that all hope was lost, RI went on a furious rally, and by the 2 minute mark in the 4th, took the lead for the first time all game. This was followed by a back and forth one and a half minutes where we traded baskets, eventually ending up in RI leading by 1 with 10 seconds left in the game. After getting the rebound, the ball was fired up to their key player #8 and he dribbled down the court and shot a floater over 3 of our defenders in the lane. We watched as the ball was in the air and as the buzzer sounded, went off glass, rattled for a while in the rim and eventually went down. The basket was ruled good and they had won the game. It was definitely a heart breaking loss for us. One thing that we have to work on is our under baskets and our free throws. We missed at least 15 free throws as a team in the game and had we converted on them, we could have made a difference in the outcome of the game. There were also so many easy chances under the basket that we all were unable to convert. We really have to make sure we make our layups as chances like these are unable to come by. On the bright side however, we showed the true Rafflesian spirit as we fought back furiously from being down by 17 in the 4th quarter which was no easy task. This is definitely a credit to all our players as we all contributed in this rally and we showed what our team was really capable of. If we continue to play like this, it would definitely take a lot out of our opponents to take us down. It was definitely a disappointing end to what was an incredible rally, but we should be encouraged by this game and bring our best effort against Unity Secondary this coming Wednesday.

C Division 3rd and 4th Placing Match

Points by Quarter:

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

17-------9------14------12-------Raffles

13------10-------7------14-------Fairfield

In this game against Fairfield, we did not have much trouble scoring the ball as we used our height to our advantage. However, our defense was our downfall as we did not closeout on their forwards and point guard, giving them wide open looks at the rim, and knocking their 3 pointers down. This was what kept them in the game throughout this whole match. At halftime, the game was still hanging in the balance, with RI only leading by 3 points, 26-23. But it was another story in the 3rd as we were able to pull away and extend our lead, not failing to return the favour when we were scored on. As the fourth went on, we thought we had the game, but one key turnover and breakaway layup brought Fairfield within 4 points, 48-44 with 54 seconds left to play. In the next possession, we were unable to get the basket, but stole the ball not long after they got the rebound as they could not hang on to it and scored a layup, pushing our lead to 6 points. Finally, they went for a 3 but could not get it to fall, and we secured the rebound. When they fouled us to stop the clock, we converted on both our free throws and iced the game. This was a very exciting game, but on the downside, it proves that we have a lot to work on if we want to go far in the nationals. We cannot assume that our opponents are unable to shoot it from behind the arc, and just leave them wide open. We have got to open our eyes and look for both our low and high posts,  not only our low post. We must learn to slow the pace down and not be too rushed as if we are too rushed, we will get very tired and at the same time, would not be able to get any shots to fall. We did rebound the ball quite well and were able to get some offensive rebounds when our teammates missed. We escaped with the win, but definitely have to work harder as the nationals approach. This game was our last game of the 2012 C Division South Zone Championships and the win secured us the 3rd place.

C Division Semi Finals

Raffles Institution vs Catholic High (43-60)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th
4--------19-------4------16------- Raffles
7--------22------19------12-------Catholic High

This game was a tale of two halves. We came out keeping the score very close throughout the first 2 quarters as we were able to always have an answer for whatever they threw at us. Our defensive intensity was turned up a notch in the first half as we were able to constantly communicate and work out the 2-3 zone that we were running well. We were able to keep the score so close in the game as we put in a collective effort in scoring the points. Many of our players were able to make the score sheet and provide the team with solid contributions. However in the 3rd quarter, the wheels fell off for us. We dug ourselves a big hole in this quarter and erased any chance of us winning the game. Ironically, it was when their key player, #15 was subbed out that they made a run with their bench providing them with a great boost. As the game continued, we gradually grew tired and stopped communicating on the defensive end of the floor. This is not good and we must definitely learn to communicate for the whole game and not just for 2 quarters. Turnovers killed us in this game. In the 3rd, there were some possessions where we were not able to bring the ball pass half court without getting the ball stolen by the opponents, allowing them to go for easy layups with no contest. This was largely due to the fact that the point guard was being pressured by the opponents and the only person who were supporting him was the in-bounder. From now on, forwards have to make a constant effort to go to the back court to support our point guard when he brings the ball up the court. That way, our turnover number will definitely be lower which would without a doubt make a difference. We rebounded the ball well in this game as we were very aggressive on the glass. We were able to hold their key players #7, #12, and #13 to 4 points, 0 points and 4 points respectively which was quite well done. The reason why #12 was scoreless was probably because he was thrown of rhythm as he had 4 fouls even before halftime. We got #15 into foul trouble as well with 4 fouls, but were not able to foul him out. We could not contain #15's scoring as he dropped 30 points on us, half the team's points, using his supreme height advantage to turn around and put it high off the glass for easy buckets over our defense. Our posts did do a good job of defending him, denying him the ball and making him take some bad shots, but sometimes, there is just so much we can do against his skill, height and uncanny athleticism. We will be vying for the 3rd place tomorrow and will play hard to gain an advantage in our nationals coming up.

C Div Round 2 Game 4

Raffles Institution vs Peirce Secondary (38-18)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th
9--------13-------2-----14------ Raffles Institution
4---------8--------2-----4------- Peirce

For this game against Peirce, we finally came out of our first quarter woes, keeping the score close throughout the first few minutes of the first quarter, before finally pushing our lead to 5 at the end of the quarter. We never lost this lead as we went on to win the game. However, our 3rd quarter was not well played at all. We only were able to score 2 points which was the smallest number of points that we had scored in a quarter ever in this season. This was largely due to the fact that we rushed the ball way too much and went all the way even though the opponents had 3 players back already. We must learn to slow down and analyse the situation before making decisions and not bull-doze our way into their defense and throw away our possession. Another thing that was not really well done was our communication when our teammates got screened. Our opponents ran a play where they would set a double screen for their point guard and due to our lack of communication, it worked quite well for them as they got very near the ring, but fortunately for us were unable to finish. We rebounded quite well in this game which was vital as we allowed very few second chances for our opponents, but we still have to always remember to help out on defense when our opponents are driving on our teammates. The person defending the ball man has to make an effort to slide with his man as this would make it even more difficult for his man especially when the help comes. We fed the ball into our posts often in the second half, and with their height advantage, they were able to get whatever they wanted in the paint. We still missed a great deal of lay ups though, and this is something that we have to continue to work on if we want to get better as we definitely have the height, but have to make sure we seize the opportunity and put the ball in properly. With this win, we are in the nationals and zonal semi finals and will face Catholic High on Monday. We have to lay it all out on the court on Monday as this will probably be the greatest and toughest challenge in our zone that we have to overcome. We need to bravely take on the challenge and not feel that we are inferior to them if we want to win the game and enter into the finals.

C Div Round 2 Game 3

Raffles Institution vs Pei Cai Secondary (32-38)

Points by Quarter:

1st-----2nd-----3rd-----4th
7--------7-------10-------8-------RI
17-------7--------4-------10------Pei Cai

Our 1st quarter woes finally killed us as we dug a deep hole in the first quarter against Pei Cai and were never really able to come back. This is the third game in a row where we have trailed by a large number in the first quarter and although we were able to get away with it the previous two times, we could not do it against Pei Cai as they were considerably stronger than any other opponent that we had faced. We fought hard from the 3rd quarter all the way until midway through the fourth where we were able to overcome our deficit and take a 2 point lead. However, that lead was quickly gone as we were unable to contain them on the defensive end of the floor. This was what killed us. We cannot dig ourselves a big hole and expect us to always come out from it. We were chasing the whole game and this wore us out. Our defense let us down as we allowed many layups for the opponents instead of forcing them to take late in the shot clock perimeter shots that have a lower chance of getting in. We missed quite a bit of layups today and although there might have been contact, we still should find a way to sink the basket as we do not always find ourselves so close to the rim. We definitely have to communicate on the defensive end of the floor better as we continually tried to switch our defensive assignments among ourselves and this resulted in many plays where we would find one guy wide open under the basket. Overall we didn't play that bad as we could contain their key players, giving #8 and #13 4 fouls each and limiting the number of shots that #9 the sharpshooter took. This was a valuable learning experience. Although we are all very disappointed with ourselves and know that we could be sitting at home right now with the win, we must not let this one loss affect our performance in the next game against Peirce where we have an advantage, but definitely cannot take any chances. What is done is done. Even if we are to face Catholic High in the semis, as coach said C Div is very unpredictable. If we are telling ourselves that we would lose even before the match starts, we would lose the game. We have just have to play hard and with confidence in every game. No team is unbeatable for sure in C Div. Hopefully we are able to overcome our first quarter woes in the next game and find the confidence that we have all been lacking.