Francine Black, Staff Reporter

Lacovia High say they will be working hard to beat their opponents in the next round, following their surprise beating of St. George's College in TVJ's Schools' Challenge Quiz on Wednesday.

The Elizabeth-based school defeated St. George's 34-28 to record their victory.

Lacovia High was trailing from the start of the preliminary round match, but they moved forward in the third section to seal the win. In the first section, after an intense session, Lacovia ended with eight points to St. George's 10 points.

In the minutes segment, George's sought to extend their lead, gaining 24 points by the end of the section to Lacovia's 20 points.

However, as the teams moved into the final and deciding section, it was clear that Lacovia's composure and consistent attempts won them the match. After the buzzing back and forth, George's only gained four more points to finish the match with 28 points, while Lacovia gained 14 points to win the match with 34.

Keniesha Lewis, one of the team coaches for Lacovia described the match as intense. "I am very excited, it was kind of nail-biting, but I know we worked hard and put a lot of effort into it and I am proud of them," she said.

Working harder

The team, which has been training since September last year, only went to round one last year, but have high hopes of going as far as they can this year. Howard Reid, one of the team's coaches, said they will be tightening up their weak areas and working even harder as they prepare for their next match.

Meanwhile, Michael Clarke, coach of the St. George's team, said he was proud of his teams performance although they lost. "I am not really disappointed. We are proud that they gave it their all although they missed a few easy questions. We are glad that they tried their best," he said.

The team, which was knocked out last year by then defending champions Calabar High, said they have some plans to ensure a better performance next year. However, Clarke did not care to reveal them.

Members of the Lacovia team: Kevron Salmon (captain), Orville Tomlinson, Romeo Sommerville, Leesan Salmon.

Members of the St. George's College team: Craig Miller (captain), Corey Whyte, Charles Frost and Garvin Bryan.