Keira Baptista’s shooting exploits lift ACJC to 1st A Division girls’ netball title since 2019

SINGAPORE – Despite playing in the A Division girls’ netball final, the pressure of the occasion did not get to Anglo-Chinese Junior College’s (ACJC) goal shooter Keira Baptista.

Staying composed, the 17-year-old’s shooting prowess helped her team topple defending champions Raffles Institution at the OCBC Arena on May 23. She converted 89.1 per cent (41 out of 46) of her attempts to inspire ACJC to a 44-43 win in a tightly contested final.

The JC1 student, who kept a picture of calm as she made shots, said: “I think I did good enough to help the team.

“(The match being close) brought more pressure but as soon as I got the ball, I needed to make sure I can put in the shot. I cannot risk losing it for my team.”

Both teams were tied at 41-all with five minutes remaining, but Keira scored the team’s remaining goals to seal their win.

She revealed that talking to herself on the court was key to maintaining her composure. “It takes a lot of… verbalising what I need to do,” she added. “So ‘breathe, focus, pull in the ball’. That helps me a lot.

“I constantly shout at myself. Breathing also clears (my) mind, it helps me reset my full body and just focus on the shot, and nothing else. I feel like I just needed to breathe.

“It was very important for all of us to maintain our focus, especially me, and not throw away the ball.”

While she did not set any goal target heading into the final, she believes she can still do better.

Coach Kok Mun Wai reserved special praise for her, saying: “She played a very good game, she’s very calm and focused on her own job. I have a lot of confidence in her in putting in the shots.”

The two sides were neck and neck, with RI leading 12-11 after the first quarter before ACJC took a 23-22 advantage heading into the break.

RI then regained a 35-33 lead after the third quarter, before ACJC fought back to clinch victory.

It has been a rollercoaster season for Keira. She sprained her ankle a month before it started, and needed to visit a physiotherapist every week.

She started playing full games only from the qualifying round, completing only half of each game before that. “I know my team were counting on me and I needed to be back as soon as possible,” she added.

ACJC were knocked out in the semi-finals of the 2023 season by RI, and current captain Megan Goh admitted the feeling was different this year.

The 18-year-old, who missed the match through an injury sustained in the previous round, said: “I’m very happy, winning the title was our goal from the start of the season. Although there were times during the match where we were losing, we managed to stay calm, steady, and played our game.

Anglo-Chinese Junior College's players celebrate after avenging 2023's defeat by Raffles Institution. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY

“This year, our gameplay was a bit different. We had to adapt to different players.”

Kok, who has coached the school since 2005, revealed she had to play two shooters as defenders because her team were lacking in that position.

“I find it a good challenge and I actually enjoyed it,” she said. “This team is very adaptable… they embrace the challenge of playing a different position.”

She added that it was “a great feeling” to reclaim the title.

RI captain Shineta Tanandika said: “We tried to pull away the gap and we couldn’t, but we tried our best. We went in there with all we could, but sometimes mishaps happen.”