West Zone B Div Netball: River Valley open campaign with 36–14 win over Westwood

Story by Jasmine Goh/Red Sports. Photos by REDintern Lee Jian Wei

Charmaine Fu (GS) of River Valley taking up a shot against Westwood. (Photo 1 © REDintern Lee Jian Wei)

Jurong West Sports Hall, Monday, January 19, 2015 — Defending champions River Valley High School opened their West Zone B Division Netball Championship campaign with a 36–14 win over Westwood Secondary.

Both teams were off to a strong start in the first quarter with RV managing to establish a slight lead, ending the quarter two points ahead of Westwood at 5–3.

The start of the second quarter saw the shooters of RV go on a scoring run, potting in seven consecutive goals to widen the score gap. Westwood found it difficult to maintain possession and faced difficulty scoring past River Valley, giving the latter the opportunity to rack up the goals. River Valley held on to their momentum and led by eight (16–8) at half time.

Westwood displayed relentless pressure on their defence in the third quarter, especially in the goal-third area where they caused their opponents to force their options. Westwood defenders also went for loose balls and made easy interceptions. However, Westwood’s failure to convert their shooting attempts was advantageous for River Valley, as they trailed 12–28 to head into the last quarter.

Keen to narrow the score gap, Westwood continued to give their opponents a strong fight and tried their best to upset River Valley’s flow and composure. However, a 12–2 final quarter wrapped up the win for River Valley. Despite the eventual 14–36 loss, Westwood players were satisfied to end the game on a high note.

“We lost today’s game but I’m satisfied as long as everyone played their best,” said May Myat Thew, Westwood’s captain. “We will come back stronger for our next game!”

“We could have done better,” said Faith Yao, River Valley’s captain. “Our passes were a little haywire today and the timing of our runs were rather off.”

Commenting on her opponents’ play, she added, “Westwood played really well today. Our defenders had to work really hard to counter their attack.”

Over at the next court, Commmonwealth Secondary beat Juying Secondary 31–18 in the opening Group B match.

Scores by Quarter
River Valley vs Westwood
1st Q: 5–3
2nd Q: 11–5 (16–8)
3rd Q: 12–4 (28–12)
4th Q: 12–2 (36–14)

River Valley Roster
Charmaine Fu, Adeline, Hana Yeow, Valerie Poh, Faith Yao, Zania Tan, Gwendolyn Yong, Charmaine Soh, Yi Xuan, Qiu Yi, Gracelyn, Min Xuan

Westwood Roster
Nur Sharifah Shazlyn, Yeo Shi Yan, Jessy Chua Xue Jun, Tan Lindsay, May Myat Thwe, Ng Shi Jay Gwendolyn, Ang Li Min, Shazreen Kaylif, Nur Hazatul Humairah, Chiang Wei Zhen, Leong May Ting Sarah, Koh Ji Yeng

2015 West Zone B Division Netball Championship – fixtures and results

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