Seafood, PrimeTime and Mcbuckets hungry for the Spotlight in Zonal Finals next week
PHOTO: KIN PRODUCTIONS
6 March 2022, Singapore - It was as an epic final day of competition for the ActiveSG Cup Basketball 3x3 Boys East Zone U19 qualifiers, as Mcbuckets stole the limelight from PrimeTime in a keenly contested match that saw the former winning 14-12, and sealing progress for both teams into the Zonal Finals next week.
The two teams finished second and third respectively in the group behind the leader, Seafood.
Competitions have been few and far between because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the 2022 ActiveSG Cup was a welcome resumption of competitive play for many of the players.
PHOTO: KIN PRODUCTIONS
Gavin Tan from Mcbuckets said, "It’s been a long time since we’ve had any real competition because of Covid, and this competition has really given us the chance to show off our skills and see how we measure up against other players in our age group."
Similar thoughts were echoed by PrimeTime’s Peng Xiang, "We joined the competition to improve our proficiency in basketball, and because we haven’t played competitively for very long due to Covid. I feel nostalgic about getting to play competitively again."
The last time many of the players represented their schools in a competition was two years ago in the National School Games.
PHOTO: KIN PRODUCTIONS
Qualification for Zonal Finals
Finishing in the top eight of the group and qualifying for the zonal finals, which will take place next week, was unexpected for both teams.
Speaking on behalf of his team, Tan said, "Coming into the competition, we didn’t think that we would do well because we are 17-year-olds competing in the U19 category with players older than us. We thought we’d be underdogs."
For PrimeTime, Jan Angelo Villar Mari said, "We didn’t really expect to get into the top eight, and the moment we stepped onto the court we expected to lose. But actually we’ve won a lot of our matches."
PHOTO: KIN PRODUCTIONS
"We’ve definitely gotten better even though it’s not really something you notice while playing," his teammate, Soo Wei Jie, added.
Ahead of next week, PrimeTime has set themselves a high target. "We are aiming to finish at the top for the finals, but also just enjoy ourselves and remain humble in the process," said Peng.
Mcbuckets on the other hand, took a more relaxed approach in outlining their aims. “Gavin is going to aim to score three three-pointers every game; I’m going to aim for 10 rebounds every game; and Jayden is going to aim to drive in more and shoot more,” said Justin Chew, tongue-in-cheek.
PHOTO: KIN PRODUCTIONS
The strong campaigns headed by both teams in the qualifiers have given them a strong morale boost, which will be much-needed as they face group leaders Seafood once again in the finals.
The team at the top of the table have been anything but fish out of water in this competition. Having defeated every other team in the zone, Seafood are strong favourites for the finals. However, they will need to be wary of the threats from the other seven teams, who will undoubtedly be looking to repay the favour.
When asked about Seafood’s approach for the finals, Teo Yung Juen said, “We’re just going to take it one game at a time. There’s no need to rush, or overthink anything. Our goal is to win all the games, but the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process.”
PHOTO: KIN PRODUCTIONS
ActiveSG Cup 2022 Basketball 3x3
Full Results from Sat, 5 March 2022
Central Zone, Boys U19 Group A
ActiveSG Pasir Ris Sport Hall
Siglap CSC C 9-21 Seafood
Siglap CSC B 7-9 Cyan
Siglap CSC D 12-10 Siglap CSC E
PrimeTime 20-0 (WO) Ngang Gina
Goons 14-5 Koalas
NPSI Jaguar 12-8 Charcoal Waffle
Mcbuckets 18-8 Siglap CSC C
Siglap CSC 9-8 Æther
Swee Win 12-14 Siglap CSC E
Cyan 20-0 (WO) Ngang Gina
Seafood 21-4 Koalas
Siglap CSC B 8-16 Charcoal Waffle
Siglap CSC D 22-10 Siglap CSC C
PrimeTime 15-9 Æther
Goons 11-10 Siglap CSC
NPSI Jaguar 11-10 Mcbuckets
Swee Win 20-0 (WO) Ngang Gina
NPSI Jaguar 11-12 PrimeTime
Mcbuckets 15-5 Siglap CSC D
Siglap CSC 11-7 Siglap CSC B
Æther 5-20 Seafood
Siglap CSC C 2-4 Cyan
Charcoal Waffle 16-11 Siglap CSC E
Koalas 20-0 (WO) Ngang Gina
Siglap CSC B 6-14 Æther
Seafood 21-5 Swee Win
Swee Win 5-16 Goons
Siglap CSC E 8-3 Koalas
Cyan 7-10 Charcoal Waffle
Siglap CSC D 10-9 Siglap CSC
PrimeTime 12-14 Mcbuckets
Goons 8-15 NPSI Jaguar
Swee Win 10-7 Siglap CSC
Æther 7-16 Mcbuckets
Siglap CSC C 12-18 NPSI Jaguar
Charcoal Waffle 14-12 Goons
Koalas 9-19 PrimeTime
Ngang Gina (WO) 0-20 Siglap CSC D
Siglap CSC E 8-12 Siglap CSC B
Cyan 3-22 Seafood
About Basketball 3x3, ActiveSG Cup 2022
The ActiveSG Cup 2022 is a basketball tournament for youths 15-19 years-old. The Central and East Zones are organised by KIN Productions, with a centralised venue playing host to the qualifiers in each zone.
ActiveSG Clementi Sport Centre is the centralised venue for the Central Zone and ActiveSG Pasir Ris Sport Centre is the official venue for the East Zone.
The top two teams from each zone will qualify for the Super League, while the teams that rank third and fourth will qualify for the Prime League, with these taking place on 18 and 19 March, before a Grand Final to finish off the ActiveSG Cup action at Our Tampines Hub on 20 March.