Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls delivered a strong performance to claim a 55-47 victory over South Africa in the opening match of the Margaret Beckford Sunshine Series at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Saturday.
Led by the near-flawless shooting of Shimona Jok, who netted 38 goals from 39 attempts, the Jamaicans weathered a physical contest and capitalized on key turnovers to establish early dominance in the three-match series. Shanice Beckford added 11 goals from 12 attempts, while Simone Gordon and Rhea Dixon contributed three goals each.
South Africa’s attack was spearheaded by Elmerè van der Berg, who scored 18 goals from 20 attempts, with support from Rolene Streutker (17 goals) and Kamogelo Maseko (eight goals).
Sunshine Girls coach Sasher-Gaye Henry welcomed the win but hinted at areas for improvement.
“I’m elated and grateful for the win; God has been good to us. As a team, collectively we did a great job tonight, but there are areas we still need to work on. I think some things we saw in the England game were improved tonight, but we lapsed a bit inside the circle. Shimona hasn’t been with us for a while, so there’s still work to do,” Henry said post-match.
The game began with high energy from both teams as they traded goals in a lively and physical first quarter. Jamaica managed to open a two-goal lead midway through, thanks to defensive stops by Latanya Wilson and captain Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, but unforced errors allowed South Africa to level the score, as the quarter ended 12-12.
That laid the platform for a fiercely competitive matchup, as South Africa struck first in the second quarter and disrupted Jamaica’s attack with defensive pressure, which forced short lob passes that were intercepted. The visitors briefly held a two-goal lead but struggled to capitalize on turnovers as Jamaica’s defensive unit, led by Sterling-Humphrey, turned the tide.
A series of turnovers helped Jamaica pull ahead, with six unanswered goals giving them a commanding 26-20 lead, before a showcase of improved chemistry and resilience saw them close the half ahead at 28-23.
In the third quarter, coach Henry introduced Dixon and debutant Brie Grierson, who injected pace and precision into the Sunshine Girls’ attack. Their impact was immediate, as Jamaica stretched their lead to 38-29 with seven minutes remaining.
Though South Africa rallied to reduce the deficit to seven at 42-35 by the end of the quarter, Jamaica’s depth and composure proved decisive.
They surged to a 12-goal lead early in the final quarter, with Sterling-Humphrey and her defensive partners stifling South Africa’s attack. However, a few lapses allowed the Spar Proteas to close the gap to eight at 51-43 with under five minutes to play. However, the Sunshine Girls held their nerve to close out the game.
SPAR Proteas Coach Jenny van Dyk acknowledged that they were outplayed on the day but took positives from her team’s performance.
"Congratulations to the Sunshine Girls—what a great display from them. We had a solid first quarter and were sticking in the second until that injury threw us off a little. But that’s not the full reason for the loss. The last time we played Jamaica, we lost by 18 points, and today it was only eight, so it’s something to build on going forward,” Van Dyk noted.