Flames’ spark dies down against Jaguars

The Flames will certainly draw positives from their tough encounter against the Jaguars despite losing 54-45 on Sunday.

The Jaguars were quick to kick into gear and their defence was potent, which saw the Flames only managing to slot in just three goals halfway through the first quarter.

Flames Goal Attack Caitlin Du Plessis rose to the challenge and showed up by taking most of the shots to help her team stay within touching distance.

Jomari Lubbe’s presence in the second quarter was troublesome for the Jaguars in the mid-court, evoking some unforced errors from the Jaguars and twelve turnover balls. However, the Flames gave away two crucial balls and missed out on an opportunity to move within one goal, giving the Jaguars a four-goal lead at halftime.

The introduction of Kamogelo Maseko on wing attack alongside Izette Griesel on centre in the third quarter yielded precision feeds inside the Jaguars' shooting circle and the Flames started becoming erratic on attack, inviting some late pressure and allowing the Jaguars to extend their lead by seven goals.

The Flames dimmed their chances of closing the gap in the last quarter following a couple of wayward balls and missed shots under the post. On the opposite end, Nonsikelelo Mazibuko was the outstanding feature in the Jaguars’ shooting circle, boasting a 90 goal-per-centage and only missed four goals throughout the match, subsequently picking up the Player of the Match award.

Jaguars coach Rozanne Matthyse wants her team to be more disciplined and consistent on court, "I’m sure the girls and the whole team are not proud of our performance. I felt that keeping ball possession was not in our favour and we gave them a lot of confidence at times. I think consistency is something that we have been talking about every week; somewhere I feel it needs to kick in if you want to play in the semis or finals, that’s something that should come very easy for you but it is something that we still working on."

DIVISION TWO

In Division Two, Sonoblomo bagged their third consecutive victory against the Comets earlier this morning. The first half of the match was a neck-and-neck contest, with neither team able to pull away as both teams were stubborn on defense and dutifully firm in converting their attempts.

Sonoblomo went on to boss proceedings defensively, forcing some poor decision-making from the Comets and took a seven-goal lead in the third quarter.

The Comets showed their mettle in the final quarter and challenged every single ball in an attempt to stage a comeback while the clock ran down. Sonoblomo tactfully held onto their lead and the Comets just couldn’t narrow the gap despite their efforts, suffering a 40-48 defeat.

Meanwhile, the Diamonds soared to a commanding victory after beating the Kingdom Queens 50-41. This was a much-needed victory for the Northern Cape side, who have had a better start to the Power Week after losing their last two games.

The Queens are yet to register a victory since the resumption of the league and will look to capitalise on their rest day on Monday, so they can come back stronger in their next fixture against the Comets on Tuesday.