JAMAICA's Sunshine Girls last night proved one player does not a team make by beating England, 56-55, in the first game of the Supreme Ventures Sunshine Series at the National Indoor Sports Centre.
It was tense and nail-biting..
The world No 4-ranked Jamaicans, playing without goal-attack and former captain Simone Forbes, who has been provisionally suspended due to a positive doping test, looked shaky at the start as the visitors bolted out the gate, going 5-1 up within three minutes after some early interceptions.
Goal-attack Pamela Cookey, as usual, was quick on the case, darting here and there while finding her way back into the goal circle to deliver accurately placed shots.
The Jamaicans were able to level the score and then take a first-half lead with five minutes remaining after an interception by goal defence Kamieka Sherwood, who sent it back up court to goal-attack Anna Kay Griffiths, who passed the ball on to waiting goal shooter Jhanielle Fowler who took the Jamaicans ahead, 12-11.
The English girls levelled the score on the next centre pass and then went ahead, 15-14, at the end of the first quarter. Cookey and goal-shooter Joanne Harten proved that one doesn't have to be extra tall to shoot, as both, neither more than 5'10", delivered the goods time after time.
Second-quarter action saw Jamaica regain the lead through some excellent footwork from the wiry centre Paula Thompson, heir apparent to Nadine Bryan, who has the reputation of being one of the best mid-court players in the world.
The Sunshine Girls built on that advantage, having the edge 33-28 at half-time.
The hosts seemed to lose some momentum, however, as the second half began as the pace slowed and England started to eat away at their lead.
Jamaican coach Oberon Pitterson called a time out by the time they had lost three of their five-goal cushion with five minutes gone out of the third quarter as she seemed to try to get them back in the game.
It appeared to have done no good, however, as the world No 3 levelled and then went ahead, 37-36.
The loud cheers inside the NISC rapidly died down as the local supporters saw the visitors slowly build on their lead.
A second time-out was called by the time England had gone 45-40 up and the cheers had turned to protests of "send in your shooter".
The second talking to seemed to have breathed new life into the Sunshine Girls as they rebounded enough to take the lead down to 46-43 at the end of the third quarter.
The crowd got back into the game mid-way through the final quarter when Malysha Kelly stole an English centre pass to help the Jamaicans level the score and from then on Jamaica went on to take a 1-0 series lead.
Goalshooter Fowler topscored with 46 from 52 attempts, while Cookey had 31 from 36.
Harten scored 25 from 33 for the English.