New Zealand 62
Jamaica 40
What a difference four days can make. After an error-riddled display on Wednesday in Christchurch, the Silver Ferns were back to their fluid best with an emphatic win over Jamaica last night in Napier.
After a nervous beginning before the match - the entire Ferns squad got way out of
sync during the national anthem - the home side were slick from the outset.
While the margin at 22 goals was similar, the link play was much improved throughout the court as the home side managed their 42nd win (along with two losses, two draws) against the Caribbean nation.
Coach Ruth Aitken took the opportunity to continue her rotation policy, taking off Temepara George for the third quarter and subbing Irene van Dyk for the final 15 minutes. It was a smart approach from the Ferns management, who are covering all of the "what-ifs" before the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
The Ferns led 20-12 after the first quarter, 35-21 at halftime and 48-33 after three quarters.
Joline Henry was the standout for the Ferns, while Casey Williams came up with an inspirational display at the back and Laura Langman was brilliant for the first three quarters.
Maria Tutaia was the official player of the match and certainly the biggest improver from the first test, shooting at 77 per cent and bringing back her passing and movement game which had seemed to desert her in recent outings.
Despite being at the end of their trip through Australia and New Zealand, the Jamaicans came up with probably their best display of their five-match tour and, after losing the first quarter by eight goals, were only six goals shy across the second and lost the third by just one.
Much has been made of the Jamaicans being a weakened outfit and, while some stars are missing, they still brought nine players from the team that beat the Ferns less than a year ago in Jamaica.
The national anthem prompted some mirth, as the enthusiastic choir from the Woodford House Chapel choir held the notes for much longer than normal, so the entire Ferns squad, who all seem keen singers, completely lost their timing.
It got rid of the nerves, though, and it was a much more fluid opening from the home side compared to the fractured display in Christchurch. The teams traded goals early, before mistakes started to creep into the Jamaican side, usually due to Ferns pressure.
Anna Scarlett, brought into the side instead of Leanna De Bruin, immediately made her presence felt at goal keep and provided some genuine problems for Aiken under the hoop.
Williams was her usual combative self throughout the first half and, despite claiming in an earlier interview that there is no sledging in netball, certainly did everything she could to unsettle Jamaican goal attack Anna Kaye Griffith.
Every time the diminutive Griffith got the ball, the Ferns captain would be yelling "pass coming, pass coming" as the New Zealand defender double-teamed Aiken. The tactic worked as Griffith was clearly unsettled, shooting at just over 50 per cent throughout the match, passing erratically and once sending a rebound straight into the arms of a grateful Scarlett.
Tutaia looked relaxed before the game and sunk several bombs from distance in the second quarter, and after one intercept skipped into the empty circle and produced a lay-up that belonged in the WNBA.
Jamaica shifted Paula Thompson into centre for the second quarter, both to provide more height and also because Nadine Bryan had been struggling to keep up with lightning Langman.
With socks pulled up almost to her knees, Langman still looked like the schoolgirl that debuted for the Magic back in 2003 but she has added confidence and maturity to her play and the combination with veteran George is building.
Her running was something to behold - she always wins the beep tests at training - and she showed great determination to win the ball back with an intercept after an earlier mistake.
Henry was a stand out throughout and gets better with every outing. Given her defensive background, she was particularly effective at shutting down the feeds into Aiken, and displayed superb vision, delivering several of her trademark long range passes into van Dyk under the post.
She delighted the Napier crowd with her distinctive bird-style call when she wanted possession and one full-on slide along the court brought back memories of Kevin Bacon in Footloose.
Jamaican coach Connie Francis thinks Aiken has become too Australian-nised over her time with the Firebirds, but the 1.96m shooter, with her incredibly wide split, was superb throughout, shooting 88 per cent in the first half and 87 per cent in the second.
It was a surprise to see her miss two shots in a row in the third quarter, but as Francis said, "I don't see anyone in the world that can get a rebound over her".
