It was a rumble in the jungle on Monday night, with the Valley Cheetahs facing off against the Valley Jaguars.
The Cheetahs were determined to redeem themselves after two losses to the Jags last season, but with the cold temperatures mixed with missing most of the first quarter due to a wayward umpire, it was a mere 1-1 draw at the end of the first quarter.
Now fully warmed up, we charged forward in the second quarter with clean centre passes and effective space utilisation. The team read their opponents extremely well and was able to dictate the direction and pace of play. Eleri Williams worked well to intercept balls and send them down the court with ease into the waiting hands of Jenni Fraser; whose lobbed shots at goal swished straight into the net to take a 7-5 lead into half time.
Back on court our passes into the goal third broke down and landed directly into the hands of the Jags defense. The third quarter started to show signs of fatigue in the Cheetahs, making only two shots into goal but allowing four by the Jaguars to tie it at 9 all.
After a pep talk in the break, our sense of urgency was reignited. As a team we banded together and decided that losing was not an option after dominating the entire game. The lead kept shifting back and forth with each goal, and with about a minute left in play the Jags were ahead 15-14. With the seconds winding down Thea Riley made a nail biting shot just as the bell rang to even out the game at 15 goals a piece.
Well done to all the Cheetahs, and I know we’re looking forward to sealing the win next time!
By Shammin Azim