Rising Stars netball club have started out the year on the right foot.
The A team won its first two games of the Cayman Islands Netball Association 2012 open league. The matches took place last Thursday and Saturday at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex netball courts.
RS A took down All Stars B 34-31 before beating its B squad 51-19. One of the key players in both contests was attacker Rosemarie Wilson, who accounted for much of the scoring. Wilson, 16, states the toughest game was against AS.
“I came out nervous, I had butterflies until the third quarter,” Wilson said. “I took the first quarter to warm up. By the second I thought it was over because in the beginning we weren’t being balanced. In the third I knew we could do it. I kept pushing, we came back and I felt we did well.”
Indeed AS B presented a tough season opener for the orange and white side. After an almost evenly matched first period, the blue side established an edge for two quarters, leaving RS to rally back in the final minutes.
Two of the standouts for AS B were rookies in Goal Shooter Karen James and Centre Charlotte Sheppard. Both gave maximum effort in sustaining offensive pressure. The rest of the AS line-up consisted of Goal Attack Tishelle Logan, Christina Watler at Wing Attack, Wing Defence Shenayae Watson, Goal Defence Benecia Mullings, Goal Keeper Meagan Hurlston and subs Jane Sinclair and Lesley Bernard.
Logan, 22, serves as the team captain and states the loss came down to mistakes.
“It was tight and we gained the upper hand but we threw it all away in the last quarter,” Logan said. “That’s due to just incohesiveness. They didn’t take this from us, we threw the game away.”
Even though it was a regular season game, the RS battle between the A and B teams had the feel of an exhibition contest. The B side put up a fight in the first quarter with an 8-7 edge but experience and poise won out as the A squad dominated 14-6, 15-2 and 15-3 in the final three quarters.
Suiting up for RS B was Alexis Carias, Kimberly Solomon, Leithia Rankine, Shanae Allen, Carla Rankine, Aaliyah Webb, Kady Myers, Annique Blake and Gelyssa Rankin. The RS A roster features Wilson, Mellisa Rankine, Mariscka Blackman, Patrice Boothe, Tara Ramoon, Wendy Evans, Georgia Linton, Britney Rose, Tricia Skyers-Palacio, Marcia Moiten and Casy Swaby.
One of the playmakers during the contest was Moiten (Goal Attack), who was virtually automatic near the basket. The veteran shooter states the result was about the team showing its strength.
“It was a good game, we came together as a team,” Moiten said. “We did not start the game strong but in the end we pulled it through. We have to keep playing our best at all times.
“We’re not sure what all of our opponents are like. So again, at all times, we have to give our all. We have to push it.”
RS A play again next Thursday, 2 February, against Roma B while RS B plays next Saturday, 4 February, versus Unity B. AS B now battles Roma A on Thursday, 26 January. All of those matches are at 6.30pm.
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