SINGAPORE – After clinching the 2022 C Division North Zone netball title, Singapore Chinese Girls’ School (SCGS) headed into the 2023 B Division national championship with a fresh batch of players making up their strongest squad in decades.
But their dreams were dashed in the quarter-finals, when key players contracted Covid-19 and they exited the tournament following losses to Nan Hua High School and Methodist Girls’ School.
It took SCGS just one year to make up for that disappointment, by defeating Raffles Girls’ School (RGS) 22-20 on April 22 in the B Division final to claim their maiden national netball title.
SCGS captain Jamie Chua, 16, said: “This year we really cut back on injuries and sicknesses. We kept ourselves healthy because we knew to advance far, we had to be mentally and physically prepared.”
Coach Justin Teh, who has been with SCGS for over 18 years, said: “This is really historic for the school. The players made it really special because they really wanted to win.
“We started with nothing, no DSA (direct school admission) players but we worked hard.
“It is really quite surprising. I didn’t expect it.”
The landmark victory certainly did not come easily for SCGS. They posted a huge upset in the semi-finals with a 32-23 win over perennial powerhouses CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh), who had claimed 13 national titles since 2000.
After that win, SCGS goal shooter Sophia Leong, 15, was hit with the flu and could not train with the team the week before the final.
Sophia, who recovered in time for the final, added: “I think it’s really transformative in SCGS history. In Secondary 2 we attained the C Division North Zone title and that was the first for our school.
“So to be able to start our journey with a history-making win and end it off with another one today is really crucial.”
Even after taking down CHIJ (Toa Payoh), victory still looked unlikely for SCGS. After all, RGS had beaten them 26-24 in the quarter-final round-robin stage just 11 days ago.
Teh said the key to defeating RGS was making tactical tweaks to the offence due to the individual quality of RGS goalkeeper Japhanie Tan.
Sophia, who combined with goal attack Jamie to convert 22 of their 25 attempts, added: “Both of us switched our positions.
“Jamie is the stronger shooter, so she would hold the goalkeeper first while I would run up to the defenders. Jamie then had more space to get the ball and I think that really worked.”
It came down to fine margins at Jurong East Sports Hall, with both teams neck and neck playing a high-tempo style in the opening stages. SCGS led for all of the first three quarters 7-6, 11-9 and 17-16 respectively.
But with SCGS ahead 19-16 in the fourth quarter, RGS scored three straight points to level the score. Undeterred, SCGS regained control of proceedings by scoring three of the final four goals to see out the game.
Jamie said it was a team effort and credited the defence for holding firm in crucial moments. Sophia attributed the win to “treasuring our turnovers and converting them”.
Meanwhile, Secondary 4 student Japhanie said: “I’m a bit disappointed that we didn’t manage to win but SCGS put up a really strong fight.
“We didn’t know if we could even make it to the top four but we managed to get top two, so I’m super proud of everyone for their hard work.”
