Story by Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by Rebekah Abbott/Red Sports
RI C successfully gains possession of the ball despite the defence by SAJC. (Photo 1 © Rebekah Abbott/Red Sports)
Republic Polytechnic, Tuesday, May 20, 2014 — Raffles Institution (RI) booked a place in the final of the National A Division Girls Netball Championship with a 55–44 win over St. Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC). RI last qualified for the final in 2012, where they went down 37–35 to ACJC.
SAJC endured a shaky start, as their Goal Shooter missed her first attempt. RI were able to capitalise on that, taking an early two-point lead. RI’s defence was extremely well-disciplined, as they forced turnovers time and again from SAJC. This allowed RI to take a five-point lead heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter saw SAJC bounce back to trim the deficit. RI’s Goal Shooter was having her way in the final third, as she nailed a few long shots to pace her team’s scoring. SAJC’s defence were scrappy through the period, forcing RI into violations that led to easy points for them. SAJC’s Goal Attack picked up the scoring slack, making up for her team mate’s earlier misses. This allowed SAJC to trail by only three at the break.
SAJC’s comeback continued into the third period, when they trimmed the deficit to as close as one point. However, their intensity started to fade as fatigue started to take a hold of the team. It became evident when SA’s Goal Attack and Goal Shooter started to miss their shots. RI took full advantage of this, as both their shooters were able to keep scoring consistently.
RI managed to continue their scoring pace into the final quarter, which allowed them to open up a comfortable 11-point lead over SAJC. Despite trailing by a large margin, SAJC continued to press on the attack. This allowed them to chip at the deficit, but that also led to turnovers as well. In the end, RI claimed their spot in the final with a 55–44 win. They will look to avenge their 2012 defeat against defending champions Anglo-Chinese Junior College, who beat Hwa Chong Institution 53–43 in the other match.
RI captain, Merissa Poh, said, “It was a very close fight all the way. The Saints (SAJC) put up a really good fight. It took a while for us to settle down, but we finally managed to do so in the third quarter. When they missed their shots, we were able to hold on and convert ours. I hope that we will be more composed in the finals, which will help us net the victory.”
SAJC captain, Joie Seow, said, “It was a tough match for us. Raffles gave us a very good fight. We did what we could and did not give up until the very end. We would like to thank the supporters for coming all the way down to support us!”
Scoring by Quarter
RI vs SAJC
1st Quarter: 15–10
2nd Quarter: 12–14 (27–24)
3rd Quarter: 15–11 (42–35)
4th Quarter: 13–9 (55–44)
RI Roster
Richelle Er, Tessa Wong, Merissa Poh, Tang Jei Min, Ng Shi Ying, Rukmini Roy, Yvonne Goh, Isabella Khoo, Tan Jia Jia Amelia, Peck Hsiao Wei, Yu Zheng Yi, Geraldyn Leong
SAJC Roster
Fiona Robinson, Elsa, Yan Yi, Kian Min, Vanes, Hannah, Joie, Yu Jun, Jeneen, Valerie, Pattany, Samantha
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