National B Division Netball: CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) beat RGS 40-25 for third

Story by REDintern Grace Sim. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

B division netball 2011 3rd/4th - CHIJ vs RGS

The CHIJ player keeps the ball from Evangelyn Koh (RGS WA) opponent. (Photo 1 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Toa Payoh Indoor Sports Hall, Tuesday, April 19, 2011 – CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) shook off the disappointment of their semi-final loss to Greenview Secondary to beat South Zone champions Raffles Girls’ School (RGS) 40-25 in the National B Division Netball Championship.

The big win was a letdown for supporters expecting fireworks in the clash of the South Zone titans.

The well-rounded IJ girls sped off to an overwhelming lead against RGS, pulling ahead 10-2 seven minutes into the first quarter. Fortunately, RGS caught themselves in time to mitigate the damage brought upon by the tight IJ defence to trail only by six (6-12) at the end of the first quarter.

RGS captain and Wiing Attack Evangelyn Koh found better spaces in the second quarter and the Raffles attack began to flow more consistently. The second quarter was a closer match-up with IJ outscoring Raffles 8-7 to bring the overall score to 20-13 at half-time.

In the third quarter, RGS started off well, scoring the first two goals. However, when presented with opportunities to narrow the score-line, the RGS attack made loose passes which were intercepted by the IJ WD, Gillian Cheah, allowing IJ to find its momentum again.

IJ went into the final quarter with a 10-goal lead at 29-19 and the team never took their eyes off the prize. The RGS attackers could not adapt to the changes in the line-up and started to force passes into the goal circle from afar. The IJ team capitalized on their opponent’s mistakes and ran away with the match to beat RGS 40-25 at the final whistle.

RGS coach Chng Li Li was visibly disappointed with the outcome of the match.

“The girls lack the fire they normally have. They didn’t manage to sustain their form perhaps because the season has been too long,” she said.

Pleased with IJ’s performance, coach Kok Mun Wai said: “The girls played well from the first whistle. They knew it’s the last game of the season and they showed how much they wanted it (the win).”

It was obvious that IJ’s overtime loss in the South Zone final to RGS was etched in the girls’ minds.

IJ captain Kimberly Lee piped: “I’m happy we managed to end off the season with a good game. No matter what happened in the season, we will move on and do our best.”