ONE?TEAM?IS?known for its high-scoring offence, the other for a stifling defence.
Something’s got to give this evening at the Netball Stadium when Garrison School and St Lucy Secondary meet at 3:30 p.m. to decide the champion of the 2010 Barbados Secondary Schools’Netball League (BSSNL) Under-19 Competition.
Garrison have scored 143 goals and conceded 114, while St Lucy have scored 108 and allowed a measly 73 against them.
Only The Lodge School scored more (216) and conceded fewer (69), and barring injury to their defenders, they could have been the ones in the final.
This is readily acknowledged by Garrison’s physical education teacher and coach Sandra Bruce-Small.
“It was a real see-saw game. We were going for it in the last quarter when that unfortunate incident occurred. It put them out of sync and put us back on top,” Bruce-Small said.
After that stroke of luck, they came roaring back to hammer Foundation School 42-24 in the semis. The girls had lost to Foundation 30-36 in the prelims and that motivated them to play better.
“We had an up and down season and came fourth in the zone. We played well in spots, but our zone was tough because all four teams are in the finals,” Bruce-Small said.
St Lucy had also lost (9-15) to Combermere during the prelims, and they too turned the tables to win 15-10 and secure their place.
For physical education teacher Shakira Shorey, it has been a balancing act all season trying to get the best out of the players on match days with limited training.
“We have had difficulty where practice is concerned because I also coach basketball and I am the only person there who can coach both. There are basketball games on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and netball on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” she explained.
“The activity period on Wednesdays is the only time that we get to put in any work, but I also share that with the basketball team. I am pretty stretched, so I have to do a lot of coaching during the games.”
Shorey praised their umpire Rhonda Walcott, who has also been of invaluable help with practice sessions since she doesn’t have the services of a National Sports Council coach at St Lucy.
Both teams are relatively young, but the players have been at the Under-19 level for several years.
Garrison won the Under-15 competition last term and St Lucy have mainly Under-15 players, as well as transferees Jeneice Clarke (Springer), Leah Bannister (Coleridge and Parry) and Kym Robinson (Grantley Adams).
Reigning MVP Clarke, especially, and Bannister have been terrors in defence.
The most highly anticipated match-up will be between Clarke, who has senior caps, and Garrison’s Shannon Hackett who scored 28 from 29 in the semis.
Hackett was also Barbados’ MVP and top shooter at the Under-16 Jean Pierre Tournament here in April.
“It is going to be a tough encounter. We beat them in the first round, but Jeneice is like three players, especially at the school level. My centre court and shooters should give me an edge,” Bruce-Small said.
“Names on paper don’t mean anything. I think it will come down to who wants it more.”
St Lucy haven’t won the Under-19 title since 1989, and never under the BSSNL.
Garrison also haven’t won for many years.
“I think we have one of, if not the best defence in the league and they have the best attack that I have seen. It’s going to be a challenge for my girls.
“When we played Garrison, we lost by five goals (20-25) and made a lot of mistakes – simple shots under the pole. If we get consistent, it should be a good game,” Shorey said.
However, if they played like they did in the final quarter against Combermere where they failed to score a single goal, it could be over before it starts.
Foundation, who finished third last year, will play Combermere for the same position at 3:15 p.m.
