Saturday, March 17, 2007

Converse Under-16 All-Star FinalNorth Zone vs South ZoneFriday, March 16, 2007 at Singapore Basketball Center
Match Report by Lee Hwee Cheng. Pictures by Leslie Tan. © Red Sports/soulbreath pictures
A day after the preliminary rounds were played, a battle took place between the North Zone All-Stars and the South Zone All-Stars to determine who would emerge as “the best of the best” with the North Zone emerging champs when they beat the South 51-46.
North Zone all-star no.9 from Northland Sec
The Under-16 All-Star Game that took place at the Singapore Basketball Center today was a muted affair with no fan-voting system, no big-time marketing campaign, no popcorn stands and definitely no silly fluff. Just the best ballers in the schools doing their thing for appreciative school mates and friends who made the effort to come support them.
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Not originally planned for providing entertainment, the All-Star Game for schools is organized to select the new National Youth (Under-16) Team. 4 zones, 12 roaming scouts-cum-coaches and 48 outstanding players, all stars in their own right. Based on their individual performance in all the games played over the two days, the most outstanding ones will subsequently be selected to represent Singapore in national and regional tournaments.
While the NBA All-Stars is all about flashy moves and acrobatic stunts rather than winning, the All-Star game we saw today was one with a more serious undertone. Winning might not be everything, but neither was flair nor individual skill. Coming to battle as a team for the first time after only one training session just days before, the All-Star players not only had to prove their fundamental skills as an individual, but also to prove their game-wit and versatility as part of a team.
Still, an all-star game will always boast only of stars. With the best kind of defence and offence pitted out there on the same court, the boys didn’t have it easy and the crowd got treated to a high level game.
The game kicked off with the South team winning the tip, but also quickly losing the possession with a hurried turnover. Struggling initially with team coordination in both offence and defence, the South team committed a few more turnovers when passes were cut and shots missed.
The North team started off with some uncertainty as well, but warmed up faster as a team, hitting the first points of the game with a three-pointer. Within minutes of Quarter 1, the North boys were making passes and pick-and-rolls like a well-seasoned team. As the South team’s poor shooting form continued to plague even the free-throw attempts (at one point, making only one of six), the North Zone quickly pulled the lead wider and kept the opponent scoreless.
North Zone all-star no.10 from Maris Stella
Particularly standing out in the first quarter with his immaculate passing, his easy coordination with his newfound teammates and his timely scoring, was Maris Stella’s no. 10, playmaker for the North team. With him teaming up quickly with Presbyterian’s no.13 and Northland’s no.9, the three boys proved to be the key contributors for the North side.
The South team eventually eased up on the initial struggles, and found some of the missing touch on the shots to end the first quarter trailing at 12-9.
Both sides started the second quarter with a fresh line-up each, and the situation took a turn with the new challengers. As the ten fresh pairs of legs started warming up in the game, the new teammates also took the time to work up the chemistry amongst themselves. And this time round, it would seem that the South team had a better show of teamwork.
Helmed by the dynamic duo of Gan Eng Seng’s no. 6 and 7, together with Catholic High’s no.11 Chester Leow and a very effective center in Yuying’s no.15, the South team turned the table against the North boys who seemed a more disbanded team in this quarter, and took over the lead by the end of Quarter 2 at 22-26.
Outram’s no.8 Cornelius Foo returned in the third quarter with an immediate three-point launcher, which was probably a morale booster for the South team as well. On the other side of the game, Presbyterian’s no.13, also well-rested in the second quarter, continued to shake the South’s defence with his quick drives on the break.
The pace of the game picked up in the third quarter. Perhaps a result of being fired up from the adrenaline, both sides began relying less on half-court plays and started on more runs on the fast-break. The players were now fully in the groove and the flair factor increased. More wild shots and passes were made, more acrobatic stunts displayed.
If there was any point in the game that fairly resembled a true all-star game, this quarter would have been it.
The South boys kept up with their lead when the third quarter ended at 34-38.

The momentum continued as the final quarter went underway, with new ‘stars’ shining in the last lap.
While Gan Eng Seng’s no.7 continued to be unstoppable in his drives toward the basket for the South side, the North team had its Hougang’s no.9 driving in the other direction, making a few crucial baskets that started threatening South’s lead in the game.
The fourth quarter turned out to be a battle of the fast-breakers, which eventually saw the lead topple over to North’s favor at 47-46, with 1:34 minutes left in the game.
South Zone all-star no.7 frmo Gan Eng Seng
The game then slipped into an anticlimactic ending with the South team continuing to commit fouls which only gave the North side more points from the free throws awarded while failing themselves to convert their own free-throw attempts. The last seconds saw also the South boys making three-point attempts, none of which were converted.
The game ended with the North team taking first placing with a final score of 51-46.

12:49 AM