YAT Sen Secondary School turned the tables on International School Suva to claim the U17 boys title, winning 27-12 in the final at the Vodafone Arena last Saturday.
Yat Sen coach Earl Hughes said his players learned from their pool-play defeat to ISS and executed their game plan in the final.
“We had lost to International in the pool play and we knew how to beat them in the final,” Hughes said.
“The boys stuck to the game plan. They bought their A game today, they did everything that I asked for and we got the win.”
Hughes said the team had a difficult build-up to the competition but managed to prepare during the final four weeks.
“We didn’t have an ideal build-up, but we put it together in the last four weeks and that was enough to get the team prepped and ready for the competition this year.”
The coach also credited the team’s chemistry, with the players having come through the secondary school system together and played alongside each other since the U15 grade.
“They know each other’s moves, so they have great chemistry,” he said.
“All I had to do was just get them to run a few things that bring out that chemistry. We don’t want to reinvent their behaviour; we just let that flourish for them.”
Hughes said the victory was important as the players would move into the U19 grade next year.
“This is the team that’s going to take us into the next level, under 19 next year,” he said.
He also acknowledged the support from parents and supporters during the tournament, saying the crowd helped lift the players when they tired.
“The boys needed that support, and we could feel it in the crowd. That’s what lifted them up.”
The victory completed a turnaround for Yat Sen, who had lost to ISS in pool play before producing a 15-point win when it mattered most.
Meanwhile, in the U17 girls division final, YSS edged Saint Joseph’s Secondary School 15-6.
