West Zone B Div Netball: Hillgrove defeat Dunearn 36–17

Story by Jasmine Goh/Red Sports. Photos by Clara Yuan/Red Sports.

WD of Dunearn catches the ball. (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)

Jurong West Sports Hall, Monday, February 2, 2015 — Hillgrove Secondary (HG) defeated Dunearn Secondary (DSS) 36–17 in the first round of the West Zone B Division Netball Championship.

Hillgrove found their momentum early into the game to lead 10–4 after the first quarter as they went for loose balls and created turnovers.

The second quarter proved to be a tougher fight for Hillgrove as Dunearn stepped up their defence in the goal circle, with their Goal Keeper and Goal Defender effectively pressuring the HG shooters.

At one point, Hillgrove’s GS, Ain, called for injury time and limped off the court. She had played a pivotal role for Hillgrove with good runs in the shooting circle, getting past her defenders on several occasions to receive and convert her attempts. Dunearn capitalised on this advantage and patiently worked the ball down to the shooters, going on a 3-0 scoring run towards the end of the quarter to trail 11–14 by half time.

Dunearn entered the second half with better defensive efforts, sticking close to their opponents during plays.

In the third quarter, Ain returned on court as a Goal Attack, scoring four unanswered goals in the opening period. Dunearn retaliated with two goals but found themselves overshadowed by the Hillgrove shooters. Ain contributed six out of the nine goals that were scored in this quarter.

Keen to narrow the gap, Dunearn continued to give their opponents a strong fight till the final whistle. However, their defensive efforts were not enough to force sufficient Hillgrove turnovers to reduce the deficit, leaving the latter to seal the game 36–17 winners.

Hillgrove’s captain, Diyana Malek said, “We are getting stronger every match. We learn and improve on our mistakes and continue to work hard as a team together.”

“Dunearn put up a tough fight, they have strong attackers and their defenders also made interceptions in the goal circle. However, we managed to pull away in the third quarter,” she added.

Dunearn will play Pioneer in their next match at 5.p.m on Friday, February 6, while Hillgrove will face Hong Kah Sec at 3.p.m. on Friday on the same day. Both games will take place at River Valley High School.

Scores by Quarter
Dunearn vs Hillgrove
1Q: 4–10
2Q: 7–4 (11–14)
3Q: 2–9 (13–25)
4Q: 4–9
Final Score: 17–36

Dunearn Roster
Hosanna, Wendy, Na Hyun, Gretel, Maruth, Jamie, Baheera, Yuan Jen, Jane, Si Yu, Nurin, Fatin

Hillgrove Roster
Ain, Ann Lin, Valencia, Si Ting, Fazlina, Olivia, Diyana, Alexandra, Madeline, Hwee Fong, Ruziana, Arica

2015 West Zone B Division Netball Championship – fixtures and results