Story by Jasmine Goh/Red Sports. Photos by Jerald Ang/Red Sports.
Players from both schools challenge for possession of the ball. (Photo 1 © Jerald Ang/Red Sports)
CHIJ Toa Payoh, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 — Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) defeated Tanjong Katong Secondary School (TKSS) 28–20 in the preliminary round of the National C Division Netball Championship.
MGS previously defeated Crescent Girl’s School 34–11 and went down to Anderson Secondary 17–34. With both teams holding a prior 1–1 win-loss record, the game was a fairly close affair with a second round spot at stake.
With the win, MGS joined Anderson and advanced to the second round, while TKSS bowed out of the competition after finishing third in Group B with a 1–2 win-loss record.
Stellar shooting from MGS Goal Shooter, Grace Poong, as well as strategic passes from her midfielders, were instrumental in MGS’s smooth play. The MGS shooters managed to successfully pot their shots without much difficulty to help their team close out the opening quarter with a six-point lead.
TKSS remained calm and stepped up on their defence and teamwork in the second quarter. They went on a 4–1 scoring run in the first half of the quarter and managed to narrow the score gap. However, MGS hung on to the lead, as they pulled away whenever TKSS came close to equalising. TKSS Goal Defence, Aisyah, took advantage of her height to intercept high lobs over the MGS shooters, forcing multiple MGS turnovers.
On the other hand, MGS were able to convert on offence to take a 12–7 lead at the end of the second quarter.
Both teams continued to trade points, playing with high turnover rates in the third quarter. However, TKSS managed to hustle for a two-point lead through several offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities by their shooters, Sanskriti (GA) and Nazhifah (GS). TKSS eventually outscored MGS 9–7 to trail by three (19–16) heading into the final quarter.
MGS came back in the final quarter, determined to keep the hard-earned lead they had built in the first half as they stepped up their aggression. Their tightened defence allowed TKSS to score only four goals in this quarter. Despite TKSS’s valient efforts to reduce the deficit, MGS’s strong first-half effort helped them to the eventual 28–20 victory.
MGS captain, Grace Poong, said, “I think we played well today. We were nervous at the start, but we managed to overcome our fear and anxiety to play our best for today’s match. I’m really proud of them. We will continue to have faith in each other and progress together as a team in the second round.”
Scores by Quarter
MGS vs TKSS
1Q: 9–3
2Q: 4–4 (12–7)
3Q: 7–9 (19–16)
4Q: 9–4 (28–20)
MGS Roster
Jia Wei, Grace, Mirielle, Claire, Victoria Wong, Anne, Shayna, Brienna, Victoria Lock, Lahari, En Min, Tara
TKSS Roster
Sanskriti, Nazhifah, Natalie, Asmita, Nasyitah, Leonie, Aisyah, Sabrina, Syarah, Ledell, Syazwani, Gyenn
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