Written By: Nga Wan Qin Edited By: Valerie Chua & Jolene Wong Photographs By: Eusoffworks
Having witnessed their male counterpart’s success, it was our bball chiobus time to shine! It was only their first game of the season, yet they were pitted against the formidable Temasek Hall (TH) basketballers. Yes, it may be a bit early to say this, but that was truly a match of the century you do NOT want to miss!
The 1st quarter began with a full senior lineup – Captain Val, Joey, Brenda (also known as Bread), Jamie and Chok as the starting 5. Towering at least 1 head above the average Singaporean womens’ height, Joey easily won the jump ball, but it was tipped to a lucky TH player, tough luck! Unwilling to let it slide, Joey arrowed in on the ball made the fastest intercept in bball history, denying TH the opportunity to score! Unfortunately, our girls took some time to settle down, miss-passing to each other due to first match jitters. Seasoned veteran Jamie made a sik intercept, but TH was quick to turnover and put in a 3 pointer. The game proceeded with neither side converting drives into scores successfully, until Jamie got a free throw and scored Eusoff’s first point, HURRAY! Following was another dry spell for both teams as the girls tried to calm their nerves and settle down on court. Freshies Jin Wen and Vivian then came into the picture to sub Joey and Captain Val. These 2 may be rookies in Eusoff but they are definitely not rookies in bball as they quickly got to work! Jin Wen made a clean intercept and stole the ball from TH. She then proceeded to show off her amazing chemistry with Vivian as they seemed to be able to anticipate each other’s intention; Jin Wen made an assist to Vivian, who then faked to shake off the tight defence on her before scoring 2 points for Eusoff! Wen Qi and Angela then came on for Jamie and Chok. Whilst they were getting used to the game play, Jin Wen made a lightning-quick intercept and fast break across the court to attempt a lay-up but missed due to the high velocity she was flying at, damn!
By the time a time-out was called, the score was 4-2 to Eusoff. After the time-out, TH increased the pressure on EH by putting in a 3 pointer, making EH down by 1 point. Wen Qi tried to make up for this by attempting a 3 pointer but fell short by the slightest margin. Giraffe Vivian got the rebound and tapped it out to Jin Wen before TH could slam her with their aggressive defence, and Jin Wen quickly converted the pass into a lay-up. The quarter then ended 6-5 to Eusoff, thank goodness for that!
Basketball sensation Jin Wen with her sick ball handles, before putting the ball through the net.
In the 2nd quarter, Hwee Ching and Angela came into play, and Angela even scored a sik 3 pointer, immediately after TH scored a lay-up, way to go! Eusoff was extremely tight on defence, pressuring TH into committing costly mistakes like airball and travelling, resulting in turnovers. However, luck was not on our side as not many turnovers were converted into points. Once, Jamie made a 3-point shot with such pristine accuracy that the ball got stuck between the hoop and the backboard! Everyone was like “Nani what happens now??” The shot was, unfortunately, not counted since it did not actually make it through the net (tough luck!). Eventually, Jin Wen made an assist to Vivian after getting the rebound, and Vivian broke our dry spell by putting in 2 points for Eusoff. As the countdown timer began to reach its expiry, Jamie made a speedy intercept and took a 3-point shot in the hopes of making a buzzer beater, but the ball misses, unfortunately. The quarter hence ended 10-11 to TH and we are down by 1!
With pride and glory on the line, the 3rd quarter began with Jin Wen, Jamie, Vivian, Joey and Angela. Our girls displayed their sik chemistry with a series of sharp passes, allowing Vivian putting in a layup to score for Eusoff. However, TH followed suit with a lay-up of their own as well. After a missed 3-point shot by Jin Wen, Joey caught the rebound and scored with zero hesitation! We were neck-and-neck with TH, as they scored not long after we did. Captain Val made a drive so strong that it was almost impossible to stop, and she bulldozed right through TH’s wall-like defence and scored another 2 points for Eusoff, yay! Eventually, it was the 3-pointer made by Wen Qi that gave us the edge we needed to end the 3rd quarter 17 all! What a comeback by Eusoff, in spite of the tight defence TH put up. At one point, any of our player with the ball was immediately met with 3 TH defenders that made it almost impossible to do anything!
For the last quarter, Jin Wen, Jamie, Bread, Angela and Joey were up first. Now that both teams have reached a stalemate, every point mattered and our girls know it. Upon facing tight defence by 2 TH players, Jin Wen strategically let them tap the ball out, knowing the ball would still be in Eusoff’s possession. Both sides made attempts to score but none went in by the time TH called for a time-out, and the score was still 17-17! By now, the spectators were all on the edge of their seats. After time-out, Bread slotted in 2 points like an angel that came from heaven, putting all of us at ease. However, TH scores as well to put us at 19 all! This time, Eusoff calls for time-out, leaving us spectators squirming in our seats.
Bread freed herself from the defenders and managed to find a sneaky shot.
When our girls came back on court, something seemed different – we could see it in their eyes – and we’d soon realized what it was. Wen Qi interrupted TH’s offence with an intercept and fast break down the court to put in 2 points for Eusoff! TH puts in a 3-pointer, but this was no deterrence to our girls’ mission – to subdue this strong adversary. After TH missed their free throw, Bread snatched the rebound in a jiffy and fast break the ball all the way to our offensive half, made a sharp assist to Vivian, who then put the ball through the hoop! Too SHOOK by our aggression and full-court press, TH fumbled and made a backcourt foul. Jamie seized the opportunity to quickly attempt a shot but fell short. However, she redeemed herself by getting her own rebound and dishing to Vivian, who then saw an opening and drove in for a lay-up and…… SHE SCORED! TH immediately called for time-out as our girls were up by 3! The score was 25-22.
Vivian (a freshie to look out for!) going in for a shot, leaving her opponents helpless.
With less than 45 seconds to go, the victory was just within reach! When the girls came back on court, Jin Wen was relentless on the TH players, breaking through their screens to intercept the ball and dribble it at light speed down the court. The atmosphere was tense as TH was tight with their defence. At this crucial moment, Jin Wen broke free from her defender and stood at her favourite corner. The ball was swung to her and she rained from downtown… IT’S A 3-POINTER! BANG BANG!!! With that, the last quarter ended 28-22 to Eusoff!
Despite facing such a strong team this early in their season, our bball girls showed us true grit and tenacity as they made a mad comeback from the 2nd quarter to win with a 6-point lead! With their greatest obstacle overcome this early in their season, this reporter is excited to see what is to come. WE’RE SO PROUD OF YOU BBALLERS!
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