Jamaica outclass Wales to set up semi-final clash with Australia

Following the Sunshine Girls’ 74-28 victory over Wales in their final Pool B match at the Commonwealth Games yesterday, head coach Sasher-Gaye Henry-Wright said the team is peaking at the right time ahead of tomorrow’s semi-final showdown against Australia.

The emphatic win secured Jamaica’s place in Saturday’s semi-finals, where the Sunshine Girls will face the defending champions in a highly anticipated encounter.

Jamaica, who won a historic silver medal at the previous Commonwealth Games four years ago, turned in one of their best performances of the tournament, and Henry-Wright has expressed confidence that her team is finding its rhythm at the perfect time.

“It was a very good game from us, but Wales did push us early in the game, but the girls had better control in terms of structure, and they were also very good defensively,” said Henry-Wright. “However, we still have a few things that we need to fine-tune before that semi-final game against Australia.”

Henry-Wright added that she was particularly pleased with the team’s ability to reduce the number of turnovers that had plagued its performances in the earlier stages of the competition.

“I think that we are now getting it right because the previous three games that we played we had a lot of turnovers, and we spoke about it before this game, and I think that we really eliminated those turnovers, and so I am feeling very pleased going into Saturday’s game,” she said. Henry-Wright also also praised the discipline her players displayed throughout the contest.

“It was also good to see more discipline in our play, and so it was a very good performance from us because they were very determined and focused today.”

The Sunshine Girls made an impressive start, executing efficiently at both ends of the court to establish a comfortable 36-18 halftime lead.

Jamaica continued to dominate after the break, delighting spectators with crisp passing, intelligent movement off the bal, and a disciplined defensive effort. The Sunshine Girls outscored Wales 16-5 in the third quarter to extend their advantage to 52-23 heading into the final period.

Veteran goal shooter Romelda Aiken-George led the Jamaican attack with 26 goals from 30 attempts, and Shanice Beckford also got 26 goals. Rhea Dixon also made a valuable contribution with six goals from eight attempts.

The Sunshine Girls completed the victory in emphatic fashion, overwhelming Wales 22-5 in the fourth quarter to seal a convincing 74-28 triumph.