ATHLETICS

Xavier Stuns St. Stephen’s with Big Come From Behind Win
Matthew So (G7G)

Posted Wednesday, 15-Feb-2006 2:11 PM

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        Xavier School proved that their first victory against St. Stephen’s High School was no fluke as they used a decisive 4th quarter rally to defeat St. Stephen’s, 67-57, in the Aspirants Division of the MMTLBA. Although Xavier took a 10-point win, the Stallions looked indecisive at the onset of the match. St. Stephen’s zoomed off to a hot start, scoring the first 9 points of the game while Xavier could not execute at both ends of the court. The score was 21-6 in favor of St. Stephen’s after the first 10 minutes of play. St. Stephen’s was able to hold off any serious comeback in the second quarter and continued to control the game. Throughout the first half, Xavier was forced to play their opponent’s type of basketball. Going into the break, St. Stephen was ahead 34-16. This was the first time Xavier has been held to less than 20 points by halftime. Coming off the break, the momentum started to shift as Xavier was able to rally and cut the lead to 15 points, 34-49, going into the payoff period. Xavier continued to hack  away at the deficit, using a suffocating full-court press. With just a little over 3 minutes left, Xavier finally tied the ballgame. After at last taking the lead, the Stallions started to pull away behind the gutsy plays of Bryan Tan and Paulo Pe. The game ended with Xavier going away but what was more impressive was how they persevered despite being down by as much as 23 points.  They never gave up and highlighted their will and determination to win. Xavier displayed their “Never Say Die” attitude and was able to prove that they have what it takes to win the championship. Both teams meet again next Saturday in the championship match where Xavier has a twice-to-beat advantage and is gunning for a “four-peat” in the Aspirants Division of the Tiong Lian Basketball Tournament.

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