Story by Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by Rebekah Abbott/Red Sports

ACJC_HCI_ADIV_NETBALL_SEMIS_02

ACJC GA successfully gained possession of the ball and looks to pass it on. (Photo 1 © Rebekah Abbott/Red Sports)

Republic Polytechnic, Tuesday, May 20, 2014 — Five-time defending champions Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) are through to the final of the National A Division Girls Netball Championship with a 53–43 win over Hwa Chong Institution (HCI). This was a rematch of last year’s final, which ACJC won 63–36.

HCI raced out to an early 6–4 lead. Good defensive work by their Center and Wing Defence allowed HCI to claim a couple of interceptions. ACJC’s Goal Shooter was getting the bulk of the high balls, using her height to jump up to claim balls that were out of reach of the HCI Goal Keeper. Her consistent scoring in the final third allowed ACJC to come back and take a slim one-point lead at the end of the break.

ACJC’s Center and Wing Defence were the key players for their team in the second quarter. Both players worked well to communicate with each other and forced a couple of turnovers. HCI could not find a way to stop the ACJC Goal Shooter. Thus, they relied on their shooting to keep up with the scoring pace. Nonetheless, ACJC managed to extend the lead to four at the half-time break.

ACJC brimmed with confidence in the third quarter as their players were making extremely long passes to the Goal Shooter. Most of the passes found their mark, allowing the Goal Shooter to score easily. HCI did manage to force some turnovers in the quarter. However, they were unable to capitalise on them.

The final quarter saw ACJC play a conservative game to maintain their lead. Defensively, they were rock solid. Their Wing Defence and Goal Defence did a good job of forcing the ball away from certain key HCI players. They also were able to grab a couple of interceptions a couple of times. In the end, ACJC were able to claim their place in the final with a 53–43 win. They will face Raffles Institution, who beat St. Andrew’s Junior College 55–44 in the other semi-final.

ACJC captain, Amanda Ng, said, “It was overwhelming to know that we reached the final. The game was a rematch of last year’s final, so we were very nervous at the start. However, we managed to settle down fast and compose ourselves. We will take the final against Raffles Institution like any other team. It will be just another game to get past and one where we hope to unleash our full potential.”

Scoring by Quarter
HCI vs ACJC
1st Quarter: 13–12
2nd Quarter: 14–11 (27–23)
3rd Quarter: 13–9 (40–32)
4th Quarter: 13–11 (53–43)

HCI Roster
We were unable to obtain the HCI roster. If you know the names of the players or recognise the players in the photos, please share them with us in the comments section and we will gladly include them. Thanks.

ACJC Roster
Tan Xin Yi, Amanda Ng, Jody Leong, Vivian Koe, Shakila Devi, Lisha Ann Rodney, Alesha Sara Wong, Dorothy Khong, Millie Seow, Tan Jia Xuan

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