Graydon Sealy Secondary School may be new to netball in name.
They definitely aren’t new to winning, though.
The school, formerly known as the Garrison Secondary, reminded Springer Memorial why they are the defending Under-19 champions when they whipped them 34-26 in the feature game of the Powerade Barbados Secondary School Netball League competition, which tipped off at the Netball Stadium yesterday.
In a game that featured two champion schools, Springer being the 2011 Under-15 champions, Graydon Sealy started their title defence in fine form, with senior national player Shonica Wharton leading the way.
Wharton, also a member of the National Under-16 netball team that won the 2012 Jean Pierre Tournament in St Vincent in April, scored 24 of her 30 attempts as goal shoot, and she received good support from goal attack Nikita President, who connected on 10 of her 15 shots.
It was a game in which Graydon Sealy never trailed, with President scoring the game’s very first goal as the Dayrell’s Road school jumped out to an early 3-0 lead.
Wharton, a towering six footer, continued to use her size and height to good effect, scoring her next five shots as the lead grew to five (8-3).
But through the efforts of goal shoot Shakeila Smith, Springer used a 4-0 run to claw their way back into the game, closing the gap to just one (8-7) in the final minutes of the first quarter.
However, three quick goals to end that quarter, followed by a similar start to the beginning of the second, put Graydon Sealy back in command, with Springer guilty of committing several unforced errors.
By the half, Graydon Sealy held a seven-goal advantage (19-12), and a 26-20 lead heading into the final period.
However, another Springer fightback, led by goal attack Zakiyah Kirton, brought them within four (27-23) halfway through the final quarter.
And they could have cut that deficit to two just seconds later, had Smith and Kirton not both missed easy scoring opportunities.
Graydon Sealy made them pay for those misses, with both Wharton and President scoring three consecutive baskets to essentially put the game to bed.
Smith led the way for Springer, scoring 20 of her 25 shots, while Kirton made six of her eight attempts.
In another Under-19 encounter, goal shoot Chaynae Alleyne scored 17 of her 22 attempts to pilot The Lodge School to a thrilling 21-20 win over Combermere.
She was ably assisted by goal attack Jalicia Bascombe, who netted four of her six shots. Combermere’s goal shoot Donika Payne struggled throughout the game, scoring just 12 of her 22 attempts, while goal attack Shaniqua Thomas scored eight of her 14 attempts.
