Crystal, Blazers to clash in final

Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:

Defending champion Crystal and a dazzling Blazers earned the right to meet in the final of the 2011 St James Netball Association (StJNA) Hunger Busta/Impact Auto Senior Netball League, after registering contrasting semi-final wins against Angels 'A' and Twelve Stars on the weekend.

In their game against Angels 'A', the unbeaten Crystal, which have already won the competition's Open rally and mid-season titles, booked their place in the final with relative ease, scoring an emphatic 50-31 win against the outclassed Angels.

Blazers' trek into the final was much more dramatic, as they had a breathtaking 43-42 win against the much-vaunted Twelve Stars, which went unbeaten in Zone B of the competition's preliminary round and were hell-bent on meeting Crystal, which defeated them for both the Open rally and mid-season title, in the championship game.

In their smooth march to victory, the Crystal team lived up to the pre-game expectations, winning three of the four quarters. They won the first quarter 13-6, the second 13-10, lost the third 10-9, but rebounded strongly to win the fourth 15-5.

Star shooter Ladonna Lamonth, who had a brilliant game-high 37 goals; the veteran Rita Spence with eight goals; and young Carla-Lee Tinglin with five goals, did the damage for the rampaging Crystal.

"We came here today determined that we would not be beaten and we got the desired result," said Lamonth, basking in Crystal's win. "We have not lost a single game this season and we fully intend to complete the season unbeaten."

Tense battle

In the game between Twelve Stars and Blazers, which promised a lot of fireworks, it was a tense battle from start to finish as both teams gave it their all.

Blazers had the better of the early exchanges, winning the first and second quarters by 10-8 and 13-12 margins, respectively, to establish a close 23-20 half-time lead.

However, after taking the third quarter 11-9 to enter the final quarter with a 34-29 lead, Blazers were made to sweat as Twelve Stars came storming back with a purpose. The gallant Twelve Stars managed to win the quarter 13-9, but it was just not enough to give them victory.

"It was a very tough game because they were always coming at us," said Fiona Gibbs, the captain of Blazers. "I am really happy that we managed to pull off this win. We are hoping we can do the same in the final."

Shadian Hemmings, with a game-high 38 goals; and Nickeisha Ferron and Roxanne Wallace, with four goals and one goal, respectively, were the stars of Blazers' win. Jodi McIntosh and Crystalee Carter, with 22 and 20 goals, respectively, tried their best in Twelve Stars' failed effort.

The finals and third-place play-off are slated for this coming Sunday at the Montego Bay Boys' Club courts. The final will bring the curtains down on the StJNA 2011 domestic season.