National Schools A Division Championships- Guys QF Game 2 vs Meridian Junior College
- Report written by Jovi Lim and edited by Mr
- May 6, 2016
- 2 min read
Our match versus Meridian Junior College was the second game of our National Schools Quarterfinals round robin. This time round, we were facing a relatively unknown opponent who had shown much promise and potential in their disciplined and high tempo approach to their games. Under the tutelage of their teacher ic/coach Mr Allen who was also the team manager of the National U18 team, they seemed to be a cohesive unit with 2 dangerous players who could make a difference in the game.
Our game started off slow as both teams struggled to find their offense leading to a first quarter scoreline of just 10-4, with RI leading. We thought that our struggle in the first quarter would not continue on into the second quarter as we were perhaps just warming up. However, that was not the case as we only scored a further 14 points in Q2.
Even though our offense side of our game wasn't kicking in, the defensive effort and intensity from the team played a crucial role in preventing MJC from taking the lead from us in the first half. The first half closed out with us having a 10pt lead over our opponents.
Things became worse in the 3rd quarter as we allowed our opponents to outscore us 10-16, causing us to fluster and make more mistakes during the quarter. Somehow MJC managed to find their groove and their shots under the baskets started to go in. They did not present much of a threat from the outside but within the paint, they made us pay when we didn't close them out.
We regrouped ourselves in the 4th Quarter and went back to our starters to haul the game back. With that, we caused our opponents to commit several turnovers and capitalised on these errors. Towards the end of the game, we had a minor scare as Vignesh went up high towards the basket on a fast break and when he landed, his opponent got too close behind him, causing him to land awkwardly. He hurt his left knee slightly and had to walk off the limp. Thankfully it was nothing serious as he just needed a couple of days rest to recover.
Finally, we were able to close out the game with a score of 45-35.
Points by Quarter:
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
RI 10 14 11 10
MJC 4 7 16 8
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