During the school holidays our Juniors attended the South Island Secondary Schools (SISS) Netball Tournament.

On Monday 11th the girls played three games. They were in a pool with St. Peters College (Gore), Motueka High School and Hillmorton High School A. These games were crucial to securing a good placing in the next pool. Tuesday saw the girls play their absolute best, taking the win against Kaikoura High School in torrential wind and rain. Because of the weather all games were cancelled and the results from Monday determined their places for finals day. On Wednesday the team was up against Catholic Cathedral College and Darfield High School, following play offs against Villa Maria College Inv for 25th and 26th.

GAMES BREAKDOWN

JPII vs Hillmorton High School A.

The girls were both nervous and excited for the first game of the tournament! It was a slow start for the girls as they were still adjusting to the new setting and team. With a lot of loose ball and penalties for both teams, it was a nervous game to watch. The team kept a good score right through to the end of third quarter 20-19. As we were coming into the last quarter of the game, things heated up and our girls were fighting for the win. Hillmorton turned over one of our centre passes, giving them to a three-point lead. The final score was 22-25 to Hillmorton A. Hillmorton played a good game with their shooting stats being 89.2% with JPII not far behind with 78.5%. After the game we went back for a debrief and set new goals for the next game.

JPII vs Motueka High School

Coming into the second game we had two injuries, Alice with a rolled/sprained ankle and Isabel with a broken wris, meaning the team only had one sub. It was crucial that the team played at their own pace and had control over the ball. Motueka High School played a great game, evidenced by their 94.6% shoot accuracy. Motueka High School had a strong start taking the lead 3-10. Throughout the game the girls showed great control and communication skills. Although they lost 22-35, the girls showed great sportsmanship and were awarded 5/5 fair play from the umpires. The girls came into this game with a positive mindset, and kept the positivity right through the game, winning the second quarter by one point. The third quarter showed the determination of these girls and ended up with a drawn score. Losa and I were super happy with their efforts, even though it was not the result we all wanted, they played hard and fair.

JPII vs St. Peters College (Gore)

There were no stats taken as Isabel and I were at the hospital getting x-rays on her broken wrist. The team took a hard loss 10-24.

Day 2

JPII vs Kaikoura High School

There were no stats taken for this day, as it was torrential rain and wind. The girls were amazing and played well through the whole game despite the weather being worse than West Coast weather! All games were subsequently cancelled for the day, leaving us to get dry and warm. We filled the afternoon with laughs, shopping, food and the Margaret Mahy Playground.

Day 3 – Finals Day

With goals set for the day and sunshine in Christchurch, the girls were ready for the last three games of the day.

JPII vs Catholic Cathedral College

In the first quarter the girls were down 3-5. But with hype from the sideline from coach Losa and Mr Mulcahy the girls restricted CCC to one point in the second quarter. Despite the substantial lead our girls were determined not to show any weaknesses and let Catholic score; they fought till the end of the game. By the end of the game the girls were justifiably thrilled with their second win of the tournament 27-8.

JPII vs Darfield High School

After finishing the previous game on a high the girls were looking forward to the next game. Being on the sideline was nail biting, as it was point for point until the third quarter. Both teams played a skilled game, but JPII took the win 31-26. The team showed great control, managing to turn over a lot of ball, taking JPII’s shooting stats to 83.7% vs Darfield’s stats 78%.

After the game it was important to rest and fuel their bodies as we could tell they were becoming fatigued and exhausted from the last six intense games of netball.

JPII vs Villa Maria College Inv

Playing off for 25th and 26th, the girls left the best game till last! With Villa Maria shooting stats at 80% and JPIIs at only 61% you would think you know how the game goes. The girls were down 5 points in the first quarter. Then down 7 points in the second quarter. But the girls did not give up, during the third quarter the team were able to fight back to a five-point difference (Villa Maria still ahead). With amazing intercepts from the whole team, and improved shooting the girls were point for point. The last two minutes of the game were the longest!

Noise was coming from every corner of the court, but the girls did it, they were able to break their center pass off giving up a two-point lead. Without celebrating too early, we knew we had this in the bag.

Ending the day on a high, the girls were happy with the results from today. Although it was not the final placing the team wanted, they were still stoked with 25th. Despite the number of injuries and the tough pool placement, the girls had a great three-day tournament. There was a lot of information and pointers for the girls to take in from playing schools around the whole South Island.

The remainder of the day was spent supporting Greymouth High School who were playing off for first and second. Greymouth HS were down until the final minute of the game. The GHS team played well and did not give up, taking first in the combined grade. Well done Greymouth High School, well deserved!

A big thank you to Samantha Fahey for being the named umpire for the team, and Losalio Nusi for coaching the girls.

Thank you to everyone that played, you all played your absolute best and made the tournament enjoyable.

This was my first overnight tournament since starting at John Paul II and I am looking forward to the next round of Tournament trips!