Pitterson
Daraine Luton, Freelance Writer
PRIDE IS on the line this afternoon at the National Indoor Sports Centre where Jamaica's Sunshine Girlz are down to play England in the final game of the three-game Test series.
Fourth-ranked England drew first blood on Thursday with a comprehensive 53-37 whipping but the Girlz rallied Friday night to claim the second game 45-40.
Now it is down to the final match. England will remember that it was in this very arena that Jamaica beat them for the bronze medal in the World Netball Championship in 2003.
England and Jamaica played to an away tie in June last year and later that year, their Under-21's knocked Jamaica out in the semi-finals of the World Youth Championships.
This afternoon's winners will not only leave the venue as champions but will gain useful momentum going into the Commonwealth Games in March.
Captain Elaine Davis will spearhead Jamaica's shooting and is expected to be key to the outcome of the game. However, unlike Friday when she scored only 23 goals from 31 attempts, Davis will have to get closer to the 90 per cent average for which she is known if Jamaica are going to take the game away from England.
CENTRE COURT
Similarly, Simone Forbes cannot afford to be any less aggressive nor can she lose her range at this time. After a below-par shooting game on Thursday, she rebounded with 14 from 15 attempts and seems to be very comfortable in the circle.
Centre court must also click for Jamaica and thus Nadine Bryan's role in the team, either as centre or wing-attack will be crucial, so too Nichala Gibson at wing defence.
And without Oberon Pitterson in defence, the bulk of the work is on Kasey Evering's shoulder and despite her returning from injury, she cannot afford to crack as Pamela Cooley and Rachel Dunn have both demonstrated that they are two very good players.
Coach Pitterson says the team did their homework after Thursday's game and are now focused on winning the series.
"We knew that we didn't perform up to par. We did a lot of reflection ... and together we built a vibe and that got us to refocus," Pitterson said.
"We still have some adjustments to do. We are going to tidy it up ... We have to get it up another level because we have to do that to win the series," she added.
