THE Yat Sen Secondary School’s boys team and St Joseph’s Secondary School’s girls team were crowned the under-19 basketball champions after winning their respective finals at the Vodafone Fiji Secondary School Basketball Championship at Vodafone Arena last Saturday.
Yat Sen defeated Swami Vivekananda College (SVC) 25-17 in the U19 boys’ final, ending SVC’s impressive run in the competition.
SVC coach Samisoni Vugakoto, who also helps coach the school’s U15 team, said the Nadi-based side was proud of the opportunity to compete against the established Suva schools.
“It was a tough game for us. We came down knowing that we were an underdog. In Nadi we don’t have facilities like they have here in Suva,” Vugakoto said.
He said the tournament provided valuable exposure for the players.
“We are so grateful Basketball Fiji is organising these events to give an opportunity for our children from Nadi to expose themselves in this competition and the venues like this.”
Vugakoto said the team entered the tournament as an unknown side but grew in confidence with every match.
“We entered the tournament as an underdog, an unknown. Then we just tried to maintain that we are here to become top dog,” he said.
In the U19 girls final, St Joseph’s Secondary School pulled off an upset narrowly edging the defending champions Adi Cakobau School 19-13 at Vodafone Arena in Suva.
St Joseph produced a determined performance to deny ACS another championship and claim the U19 girls’ title.
