Story by REDintern Ryan Lim. Photos by Soh Jun Wei/Red Sports

Two players fight for possession during the North Zone B Division semi-final game between SCGS and SSP. (Photo 1 © Soh Jun Wei/Red Sports)

Two players fight for possession during the North Zone B Division semi-final game between SCGS and SSP. (Photo 1 © Soh Jun Wei/Red Sports)

Republic Polytechnic, Monday, March 7, 2016 – Singapore Sports School (SSP) asserted their dominance over Singapore Chinese Girls’ School (SCGS) to win 27-11 in the North Zone B Division Netball Championship semi-finals.

They will now go on to face Anderson Secondary in the championship final.

SSP entered the penultimate round of fixtures in fine form, boasting three out of three victories in Round 2.

SCGS, on the other hand, also recorded impressive results over the course of the competition but entered this game after tasting defeat in their last Round 2 match against CHIJ St Joseph’s Convent.

This victory catapults SSP into the final, whilst also adding another win to their ruthless victory streak.

The game began with SSP on the front foot, driving into their opposition’s half with great speed and intent. Three points scored in quick succession forced SCGS into a chasing role with only a minute gone by.

The two teams approached the game with differing tactics, with SSP taking their shots from a distance, while SCGS looked to pass their way as close to the basket as possible before taking a shot.

SCGS slowly managed to find their momentum as they eased themselves back into the game. This resulted in a cagier affair late in the first quarter.

The second quarter threatened to be a scrappy one, with several misplaced passes and inaccurate shots committed by both sides at the beginning. However, SSP rose up to the occasion and picked up their game with effective off-the-ball movement. This saw their pass completion rate increase tremendously, as SCGS struggled to keep up with the high intensity. SSP extended their lead.

SCGS showed great spirit in the third quarter, launching a comeback effort. Most parts of the quarter was spent in the SSP half, with SCGS relentless in attack. This shift in dominance tested SSP’s defensive resolve. However, they stood up to the challenge and put up a solid defensive display, chasing their opponents down when not in possession.

The quarter ended with both teams clearly exhausted, with heavy legs aplenty.

Fresh from their final team talk, the two teams ventured into the final quarter with intentions to end strongly. Despite being behind and heavily fatigued, the SCGS players showed incredible character to keep at it and never showed signs of throwing in the towel.

SSP showed the same intensity as they did in the second quarter to push SCGS deep into their own half. Goal Attack (GA) Tzy Hyi of SSP dealt the finishing blow to SCGS, draining four shots from good distance to secure her school’s place in the final.

Captain and Goal Attack (GA) of SSP, Tzy Hyi commented, “We were a little tired in the third quarter, and made some mistakes. Improving on our game, we can go for shorter passes to more definite options. If we play our ‘A’ game in the finals, we can definitely win.”

Singapore Sports School Roster
Sherlyn Yip (GS), Wah Tzy Hyi (GA), Eunice Cheng (WA), Nicole Shin (C), Ang Jia Yu (WD), Kaylee Lim (GD), Nurain Hassan (GK), Nur Insyirah (Reserve), Zoey Sim (Reserve), Cherylyn Kuan (Reserve), Cheyenne Howard (Reserve), Louisa Low (Reserve)

SCGS Roster
Wang An Qi (GS), Natalie Ong (GA), Ng Ruo Yee (WA), Albanie Chua (C), Natalie Ng (WD), Kottaimuthu Sineka (GD), Joey Boey (GK), Natasha Loh (Reserve), Jelita Jade Jaimon (Reserve), Xanthia Lye (Reserve), Ng Yu Xuan (Reserve)

More photos next page