SINGAPORE – It was triumph and redemption for the Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) basketball players on Monday as they beat Hwa Chong Institution 72-55 to claim the A Division boys’ title, their first championship. 

This was also ACJC’s maiden trip to the final. They had lost to the same opponents 46-38 in the preliminary stage, a result that left them even more motivated to give a better account of themselves.

At the OCBC Arena, ACJC started brightly, building up a 20-11 advantage after the first quarter.

Captain and forward Faisal Samsullah, 17, said: “I told my team we had nothing to lose going into the final, we just had to do our best.

“I told them we already made it all the way to the final, why not win it? They were inspired by this, and we all really wanted to win.” 

In preparation, he and his teammates increased their training load, meeting five days a week instead of their usual three. 

The final’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award went to point guard Bhaven Sivasankar, who scored 26 points. 

“I’m very proud of the whole team,” said the JC1 student, 17.

“The team has always been there for me… at my lowest moments and even when I performed badly...

“The MVP isn’t important, what is important is the effort from the whole team.”

For Hwa Chong, who were beaten 41-33 by National Junior College in the 2022 final, this was another heartbreaking chapter.

“I am really very proud of my team despite how it all turned out. It was a tough game, but we definitely played our best,” said HCI captain Lim Yi Heng.

“I promised my team alongside the senior batch that I would lead them to the final. But unfortunately, AC(JC) was the better team today.” 

Hwa Chong’s girls’ team offered some cause for celebration, though. They prevailed 53-44 against Nanyang Junior College earlier on Monday to retain their title.

This, despite a poor start in which Nanyang took a surprise 11-5 lead after the first quarter.

But Hwa Chong recovered, seizing control with a 23-7 run to go into the half-time interval 28-18 up.

They stretched that lead to 40-27 after three quarters and eased to victory.

HCI’s shooting guard Callista Koh, 17, said: “I think in the first quarter we were all very nervous, we didn’t do what we were supposed to do.

“But, in the end, we caught up and played defence, we fought for every ball, we got every rebound.”

She had a team-high 18 points, while her teammate and point guard Huang Kaining was named MVP.

Callista said: “I’m really proud of my team. Everyone worked really hard for the past few months and our efforts paid off.”