From Fiji Times Online (28 August 2009)

Yat Sen, Saints rule the courts

By Indra Singh

JOSH Motufaga and Grace Taito did Rotuma proud as they led Yat Sen Secondary School and Latter Day Saints to take out the Twisties Secondary Schools National Basket-ball Championships in Suva, yesterday.

Motufaga was the star for Yat Sen as he scored eight points in the 21-15 win over defending Under-19 boys champions, Marist Brothers' High School.

The tall lad from Hapmak, Rotuma, was a thorn in the Marist defence and his sublime skills was tough to handle for the Reds at times.

Backed by a big crowd in the stands, Motufaga was ably assisted by Ratu Filimone Tuivanualevu, who managed six points.

The Form Six student said it was team work, which laid the platform for the win.

"We have been training hard and I must thank the team for a combined effort," Motufaga said.

"It was the team bonding, which laid the platform for the win."

Taito, who hails from Malhaha, Rotuma, was the baby of the team. She is a Form Five student at LDS.

However, this did not stop her from leading the onslaught as the Tamavua school beat Suva Grammar School 31-23 in the U19 girls final.

Taito managed 12 points in the win and she said the whole week of stress had paid off.

"It was a stressful week because we had to play against tough teams," Taito said.

"The semi-finals match against Natabua was the toughest because we had to dig deep."

"I must thank my team mates because we all played an important role in winning the title."

She said while studies were a priority, it would not stop her from trying to pursue the dreams of going further in the sport.

Taito is in the Fiji Under-20 side and said if given a chance, she would love to play for the senior side in the future.

In the semi-finals, the Yat Sen boys had too much power for LDS, winning 52-20, while Marist accounted for Natabua 32-11.

In the girls grade, Suva Grammar, led by Elizabeth Sautu, sneaked past Yat Sen 17-16, while LDS overcame Natabua 22-19.

Natabua - the only western team - provided stiff competition for the south schools in the U19 grade.