Local netball is churning out some
quality matches these days.
Last Thursday proved that fact with
a pair of games at the netball courts at Truman Bodden Sports Complex.
On display were division one
powerhouses the Butler Properties All Stars and Roma while division two saw young
club Rising Stars Money Gram taking on team Unity.
All Stars had their hands full with
Roma but eventually pulled out the win 43-38.
The quarter scores told how close
the match was with Butler
having 14-10 and 11-8 advantages in the first half.
Roma fought back tying the game 11
all in the third quarter before nabbing a 9-7 edge in the final period.
Credit for that resurgence goes to Goal
Shooter Kay Copeland, Goal Attack Sheana Nairne and Wing Attack Sherina
Christie.
All worked magic with the ball in
their hands and produced some athletic shots under pressure.
Nevertheless the All Stars attack
was steadied throughout the game by their veteran scoring core of GS Nicola
Williams, GA Pauline Bodden and WA Carolyn Vivian.
In spite of not starting their last
game Williams came out strong on Thursday. Her shooting and footwork showed she
had not missed a step.
Williams and company had plenty of
chances up front thanks to a strong mid-court presence. Credit to that stance
goes to Centre Lyneth Monteith and Wing Defense Kayon Clarke.
On the opposite side Roma tried its
best to stand firm in defense but were pressured too much. Giving their all
guarding the net were Goal Defense Paula Hughes and Goal Keeper Carrie Barnett.
The pair had extra help from C
Nicola Pringle and WD Sudan Powell. Both ladies actually deserve added props
for showing never-ending energy and hustling for every pass.
Ultimately, even though it was a
high-scoring game, the Butlers
defense made stops when it had to.
GD Cynthia Collington and GK Adena
Miller were the main ladies who held their composure in the backcourt.
Surprisingly All Stars did well
with few subs. Only Andrea Singh and Avril Myers were officially on the bench.
Roma boasted many spares in Necia
Ricketts, Jessica Randal, Kimberly Litrico, Zoenief Walker and Georgia Linton.
With the win Butlers are the lone undefeated team in the
competition at 3-0. Roma is a bit off the pace at 1-1.
Meanwhile Rising Stars won their
game 22-16 over Unity. The Stars controlled the game early on with 6-4 and 8-2
leads in the first two quarters.
Unity came back 7-4 in the third
period before falling back 3-4 in the fourth and final quarter.
Money Gram got the victory thanks
to some athleticism up front. Most of which came from GA Lexie Solomon, whose
great leaps and bounds showcased her basketball background.
GS Alexis Carras and WA Amy
Thompson also did well to execute on offense.
All would tire the Unity defense
and result in a few mental mistakes. However Unity were never out of the game
and credit for that goes to WD Shelly Williams, GD Elaine Broomfield and GK
Angela Wilson.
In addition the offense fought the
whole way. Keeping the team in the game were GS Stacy-Ann Hayman, GA Zanya
Smith and WA Kerry Scarlett. WD Shelly-Ann Williams also did well getting the
ball up front.
However the Money Gram defense was never
overwhelmed as the team had a lot of bodies to block passing lanes. Key to those
efforts were C Shanai Allen, WD Eva Medina, GD Felisha McFarlane and GK
Jodi-Ann Jackson.
Both teams kept their energy level
up in large part thanks to deep benches. The Rising Stars subs were Kimberly
Solomon, Chelsea Evans, Hannah Peralta, Chane Watt and Gabriella McField.
Unity meanwhile had Petagay Bodden,
Taniesha Case and Chelsea Alvaranga on the bench.
For Money Gram the win is their
first of the season and puts them in stride with the Bodden Town Eclipzers as
the lone unbeaten teams.
On the other hand Unity suffered
their third loss in division two and has yet to win a game on the season.
