- RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Jamaica's Under-21 goalshooter Romelda Aiken in action against Australia at the National Indoor Sports Centre on March 13, 2005.
Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter
JAMAICA'S SUNSHINE Girls yesterday defeated Trinidad and Tobago 64-34 to top Pool 'E' while advancing as one of four teams in the playff round of the World Youth Netball Championships in Florida.
The Jamaicans were again dominant, as they have been for the entire tournament, but the Trinidadians, who have been improving steadily, also had a good game and forced the Sunshine Girls to dig deep.
As they have done all tournament, Jamaica depended on the height of Romelda Aiken, who continued to show brilliant form, ending the evening with 41 goals from 45 attempts.
Aiken's efforts led the team to a 16-8 lead in the first quarter, which was outside of the South Africa game, the closest that a team had come to the Jamaicans for the duration of the tournament.
In the second quarter, the Jamaicans picked up the pace and led 35-15, effectively ending the game as a contest.
In the third-quarter, things got worse for the Trinidadians as the Jamaicans jumped to a 50-24 lead.
All the teams that topped their various pools in the second round will play today for a spot in the final round.
Australia, winners of Pool 'E', will play against Pool 'G' winners New Zealand. Jamaica will face England.
Based on the form of both teams the game could go either way. However, Jamaica are confident of doing well while being wary of complacency.
"The team is confident," said Jamaica's assistant coach Joan Anderson.
"The girls have seen them and they know what they can do so they aren't going into the game complacent.
"All four teams are pretty good and any of the four teams can win. Naturally, we are under a little bit of pressure because we want to do well but we have prepared for these games," she added.
The winners of those games will play in the final round against each other while the losers will play against each other for the third and fourth placed positions.
There will also be 16 other places that will be decided in similar fashion. The second placed team from each pool will play off for fifth through eighth places, third placed teams from each pool will play off for ninth through 12th place and fourth placed teams will play off for places 13 through 16.
Pool 'J', designated the development pool has already been decided with the participants accounting for placings from 17 to 20.
St. Lucia have already placed 17th with Barbados (18), Antigua and Barbuda (19) and Bermuda (20) rounding out the bottom placed teams.
