Story by Nicole Lum/Red Sports. Photos by Lee Jian Wei/Red Sports
Ayshath Zasella (GK) of Raffles Institution tries to intercept the pass made to Li Ann (GS) of Temasek Junior College. (Photo 1 © Lee Jian Wei/Red Sports)
Temasek Polytechnic Sports Complex, Monday, May 11, 2015 — In the National A Division Girls’ Netball Championship, defending champions Raffles Institution (RI) improved to a 4–0 win-loss record in a second round game against Temasek Junior College (TJC).
RI had previously won their preliminary round games against Serangoon Junior College (57–14), Anderson Junior College (60–37) and Catholic Junior College (71–11).
This loss drops TJC to a 2–2 win-loss record. They had earlier defeated National Junior College and Nanyang Junior College and their previous loss was to last year’s losing finalists, Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC).
RI proved to be the stronger contender as they immediately pulled away to a 10-point lead in the opening quarter of the game. The team displayed fluid teamwork and swift passes that TJC found difficulty in handling. RI led 38–14 going into the second quarter.
The defending champions leveraged on their accurate Goal Shooter, who delivered more than half of the 19 goals scored in the second quarter. As RI pushed the defensive tempo with their quick intercepts and precise blocks, TJC were too slow to catch up. The end of the quarter saw RI extending their lead to 38–14.
Although TJC kept their composure and fought hard in the second half, RI evidently had the upper-hand throughout. Strong rebounding by RI’s Goal Keeper earned the team several goal opportunities which in turn led to a handful of unfortunate scoring droughts for TJC. RI eventually took the 67–22 victory by the closing buzzer.
RI’s team captain, Tessa, said, “I thought we did pretty well as compared to the previous games, which we weren’t very satisfied with. We were faster and were fairly consistent throughout the whole game today. It was a very good team effort and we came back a lot stronger, plus we picked up well right from the start. We just want to keep improving from now on.”
“There was a lot of faith in my teammates. We didn’t hold back in our passes and defence on-court. Everyone was composed and going all out; there was a lot of good rhythm and movement,” she added.
On whether there is pressure to retain the title again this year, Tessa explained: “We have already put in the hard work. Given the amount of preparation we have done, I think we can deliver. It’s more about team confidence rather than the pressure.”
For TJC this was the team’s first game with a new coach, and team captain Li Ann admitted that the players were still trying to get used to the change. She also stated that her team were wary of RI, which had more DSAs.
“We were intimidated by their size, and we weren’t fast enough to interecpt their lobs. We fumbled as a team but I think, with our coach, we can work harder and come back strong in the next match,” concluded Li Ann.
Both teams will move on to their next game of Round 2 on Wednesday, May 13, at Temasek Polytechnic Sports Complex. TJC will face Hwa Chong Institution at 1.15 pm while at 2.45 pm, RI will play against Saint Andrew’s Junior College.
Scoring by Quarter
RI vs TJC
1Q: 19–9
2Q: 19–5 (38–14)
3Q: 15–3 (53–17)
4Q: 14–5 (67–22)
RI Roster
Isabelle Belangan, Tessa Wong, Freda Mah, Tang Jei Min, Yvonne Goh, Rukmini Roy, Ayshath Zasella, Grace Tay, Nadia Quek, Geraldyn Leong, Natalie Rodriguez, Eyu Yan Yan
TJC Roster
Li Ann, Syaz, Jia Xue, Eunice, Ke En, Anabelle, Amirah, Shao Qi
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