Grant shines as Westlanders down Blue Eagles

TIANA GRANT is getting a lot of praise for her excellent shooting, which led Westlanders to an ultra exciting 38-37 win over Blue Eagles in the Cornwall Supreme Ventures Major League County final at Montego Bay Boys and Girls’ Club late Saturday evening. Grant pumped in 32 of 35 attempts and was supported by Nickhesia Pearce, who scored six of 10 tries, as Westlanders held on for the narrow win. “I’ve to give credit to Grant. She held her own; she was shooting, she was on target. And our defenders, they had their challenges, but they stood up to task,” said Pearce, her shooting partner. Pearce, the team’s captain, added: “All round, it was a really good game. We had some errors, but we had to bounce back and defend and get back their centre pass.”

WILLIAMS PLAYED WELL

Polesha Williams caused most problems, as she netted 28 of Blue Eagles’ goals from 36 attempts. Others who kept them in the hunt to the very end were Zaria Pascoe, who scored six from seven attempts, Tayana Bruce, who hit a perfect two tries, and Nadalia Simms, with one of two tries.

Predictably, Westlanders were happy to have lasted home, even just.

“We’re very elated. We’ve to commend our opponents for putting up a great fight and we had to hold our own,” said Pearce.

“Kudos to them. They’re a young team and they made us really, really have to work for our victory. It was a very competitive game. They really showed up. We had to really dig deep to come up with the title.”

Two other teams emerged champions in Netball Jamaica’s showdown for Cornwall’s top prizes.

In the Sunshine Cereals Intermediate League final, Montego Bay Boys and Girls’ Club hammered Sting, 36-13, while Angelets also scored an easy win, disposing of Blazers, 38-20, in the Supreme Ventures Minor League.

This season marks the first for the County League and the finalists in all the competitions have advanced to the Champions League, another first-time championship, which takes place at G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport this coming Sunday.

MATURITY

Pearce said Saturday’s victory highlights their maturity. She expressed optimism about the challenges, which are anticipated to be tougher at G.C. Foster College.

“We’re a mature team, so it’s confirmation that all the training and practice over the years have paid off and we’re looking to move forward,” said Pearce.

“We still have some things to improve on. We don’t see any team as a threat,” she added. “We’re confident we can do well and we’re going there to do our best and to put up the same fight that we did on Saturday.”