Raffles Girls’ beat Woodgrove in B Division basketball

Story and pictures by Koh Yizhe/Red Sports

Jurong West Sports Hall, Friday, March 25, 2009 – With key players out injured, Raffles Girls' School (RGS) had to dig deep to beat an inspired Woodgrove Secondary side 51-46 in a girls B Division Basketball Championship Group C match.

RGS dominated much of the first half, but were lucky to survive a shaky final quarter when they trailed for long periods of time.

“My team fought hard to win this game. We knew it would be a hard game and I took a calculated risk by resting Hannah (back injury), Anna and Stephanie (finger injuries), who can all really contribute to the team at both defensive and offensive ends," said RGS coach Guangyi.

It looked like RGS wouldn't require the key players as they quickly overcame a nervous start to take a 11-4 lead into the second quarter with #14 Angie ending things with a layup.

RGS continued their good start as they slowly extended their lead. It was now evident that they were missing their key players as their usually smooth passing movement wasn't there. The Woodgrove #15 kept her side within striking distance with her presence under the basket.

Despite that, Woodgrove could do little to prevent RGS from taking a 25-16 lead into the second half.

The half-time break seemed to do wonders for Woodgrove as they came back fighting in the third. Slowly but surely, they reduced the RGS lead with nice drives to the basket which RGS had no reply to. On top of that, the Woodgrove defence held firm, preventing their opponents from scoring for the first seven minutes.

RGS didn't help their cause as they failed to hold the ball, allowing Woodgrove to draw level after eight minutes and take the lead into the final quarter at 30-28.

Woodgrove brought their momentum into the fourth as they extended their lead while RGS found themselves in an uncomfortable position. The Woodgrove #7 stood out as her energy and drives to the basket gave her team the edge.

However, RGS weren't about to be outplayed. Immense pressure was put on Woodgrove whenever they had the ball as RGS attempted to cut their lead. They were rewarded midway through the quarter when they took retook the lead at 39-38.

With the match at fever pitch and both team trading the lead, the umpires’ decisions were increasingly questioned by the RGS parent supporters, and they made made their displeasure known vocally. The umpire had to even match pause the referee to ask a supporter to calm down.

But this did not stop RGS from continuing their sudden burst of form. RGS grabbed crucial rebounds w and the game began to slip away from Woodgrove.

It remained tight till the end but it was RGS who wrapped the match up 51-46.

"We expected it to be this hard as we had many injured players. There wasn't an exact turning point in the match as we played hard throughout," said Deanna Ng of RGS. She declined to comment when asked about the umpires’ calls.

Guangyi Coach of RGS added, "The gamble (to rest key players) paid off and hopefully I can have a complete team for the next crucial game versus Anglican on Monday. I am satisfied with the team effort and the performance of three new players – Adeline, Ivana and Ilianna.

"I made three changes in the team for the zonal and nationals rounds. This is a relatively young team as there are eight Sec 3s and only four Sec 4s, therefore I am expecting to see them losing out in some of the physical aspects of the game.”

Editor’s Note: If you recongise yourself or your teammates in any of the photos, feel free to leave the names behind in the comments section and we will update accordingly. Thanks!

For more results, go to the SCHOOL FIXTURES & RESULTS page.

Sign up for a paid SMS news service for basketball news and results.