St Jago High secured their place in the finals of TVJ Schools' Challenge Quiz when they defeated Ardenne High in an intense match yesterday.
The match, which had both teams basically separated by a few points throughout, ended with a 30-33 scoreline.
From section one of the match, St Jago were leading, scoring seven points to Ardenne's five. In the minutes section of the match, both teams sought to secure as many points as possible. Ardenne gained 16 points to end with 24 points. St Jago gained 12 to end the round with a close 23 points.
This set the stage for an interesting and intense buzzer round, and that it was. The buzzers rang throughout the section as St Jago tried to regain the lead over Ardenne. When the final bell rang, cheers went out for the St Jago team who had 33 points to Ardenne's 32 points.
However after queries by both teams, the Ardenne's scoreline was later changed to 30 points after they lost two points for an English question that was judged incorrect.
Difficult match
Greig Drummond, captain of the St Jago team, said that there victory was as a result of their fighting spirit. "We got some instructions to fight to the end and that's what we did. We keep the focus and I want to thank the guys because they really gave it their all," he said.
He also had commendations for the Ardenne team. "Ardenne was great and we have to thank them for giving us a good match and we have to thank God too," he said.
Frank Weise, coach of the St Jago team said that he expected a difficult match as both teams were strong. "We expected a nail-biting finish. We knew that both teams were tactically and meticulously matched and we were expecting that we were going to get a big fight," he said.
He noted, however, that as they prepare for the finals, they will be focusing more on the psychological preparations and fixing up their game plan.
Travis Townsend, a member of the Ardenne team, said the match was like the finals and was a good one. "This could be like the finals two tough teams played and Jago edged us but we worked hard," he said.
He said they were still grateful to God even though they lost and intend to work harder and come back strong next year.