DEFENDING champions National Housing Trust (NHT) A and Jamaica National (JN) Group captured the 2019 Business House Netball Association (BHNA) Senior A and B Leagues, respectively, at National Indoor Sports Centre recently.

NHT A defeated former many-time champions Scotiabank 46-40 to capture the triple crown. The other titles won this season are the Open League and the Opening Rally competitions. This is the second-consecutive year the Christopher Smart-coached NHT A team was winning three titles in a season.

Meanwhile, the Christopher “Chris” Campbell-coached JN Group defeated defending champions NHT B 47-44, and in the fourth quarter both were locked at 40-40 in the exciting contest.

The first quarter of the Senior A League final between NHT A and Scotiabank was marked by bad passes and faulty shooting.

However, Scotiabank managed to take the early lead 3-0, but NHT A quickly evened the scores 3-3, before scoring another two goals to assume the lead for the first time 5-3. They then went into the break leading 9-7.

The defending champions, through the shooting of goal shooter Thristina Harwood, increased the lead 17-10 in the second quarter as Scotiabank struggled to hit the spot.

NHT A kept up the pressure on the former champions in the third quarter with Harwood teaming up nicely with goal attack Jodi-Ann French-Kentish. NHT A went on to close the third quarter action leading 35-27.

Scotiabank produced their best showing in the fourth and final quarter as they went in search for quick goals and started to eat away at the lead of NHT A with the shooting of Tennisha Bernard. With five minutes remaining, Scotiabank cut the deficit by three points (40-37).

But Scotiabank wobbled at a crucial stage of the match, paving the way for NHT A to go to win 46-40.

Goal shooter Harwood, who led NHT A’s victory charge, netted 14 goals from 50 attempts, and was also named MVP of the final. For Scotiabank, Bernard scored 25 goals from 35 attempts with Hemmings scoring seven from 11, and Marsha Murphy-Dawkins with seven goals from 13 attempts when she was taken off the court due to her injury.

– Gerald Reid