
Young Sunshine Girls suffer 0-3 series sweep to South Africa after 14-goal loss in final game
Written by Sherdon Cowan. Posted in Netball. | 25 January 2025 | 1337 Views
Tags: Under21 Sunshine Girls
Jamaica's Under-21 Sunshine Girls once again proved no match for their South African counterparts, as they fell 33-47 in the final game of their three-match series at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Saturday.
Though they showed flashes of their potential, the Jamaicans struggled for consistency throughout and, as such, were swept 0-3 in the lopsided series.
Nickiesha Powell once again led Jamaica’s scoring efforts, netting 22 goals from 27 attempts, while Kaydeen Gordon contributed nine goals from 14 attempts, and Kellian Hunter added two goals from three.

However, South Africa’s sharp shooters proved too much for the Sunshine Girls as Giada Prinsloo delivered a stellar performance with 22 goals from 25 attempts, backed by Mbali Diphoko’s 14 goals from 16 attempts. Thako Legodi (9 from 17) and Michelle Vander Merwe (2 from 2) rounded out the South African attack.
The Sunshine Girls started more purposeful on this occasion, scoring the first three goals of the match, before a string of turnovers and missed opportunities allowed South Africa to surge ahead at 12-8 to end the first quarter.

Jamaica fought back in the second quarter, and equalized at 14-14 with under nine minutes left on the clock. However, South Africa’s relentless defence worked overtime and forced errors from the Jamaican attackers to open up a 25-16 lead by halftime.
The third quarter saw a setback for South Africa when one of their defenders suffered an injury early, but Jamaica’s inability to capitalize on shooting opportunities kept them trailing at 26-35 by the end of the quarter.
From there, it became a case of how far South Africa would win, as they widened the gap in the final quarter with nine unanswered goals to establish a double-digit lead for the first time at 36-26. Jamaica’s struggles continued even as they pushed to cut the deficit, as South Africa remained solid to the end.

Jamaica’s head coach Annette Daley acknowledged the team’s shortcomings while emphasizing the series’ role in preparation for the World Netball Youth Cup in September.
“A little disappointed with some of the executions; the girls worked hard at getting the ball but we are not taking care of the ball when we have it,” Daley said.
“It’s about incremental changes and looking at how players perform under stressful conditions. We’ll go back, break down these games, and work on areas that need improvement, she added.
South Africa’s head coach Precious Mthembu praised her team’s effort while highlighting areas for growth.
“I’m proud of how the girls played today. It was very physical, which was a bit surprising, but to win all three games against an exceptional team like Jamaica is growth for us. There are still a lot of loopholes to work on, but I’m happy that every single player got court time in this tournament," she shared.
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