The Spar Proteas maintained their unbeaten run in the Africa Netball Cup in Lilongwe, Malawi on Thursday, with a 56-26 win against Botswana that keeps them on track for the defence of their continental title.ย
Head Coach Jenny van Dyk again rang the changes with Rolene Streutker starting at goal shooter in place of Almere van der Berg, and Charle Mathe again starting at centre in place of skipper Khanyisa Chawane.
The Proteas had made light work of previous pool opponents Tanzania and hosts Malawi, butย Botswana put on much more of a fight, and were able to go toe to toe with the world’s fifth-ranked team at times.ย
The Proteas’ class eventually told, though, as the combinations eventually found their footing and coach Jenny van Dyk will be pleased at the quality in depth at her disposal. They led 15-6 at the end of the first quarter and 30-13 at half-time, with Streutker and goal attack Owethu Ngubane growing in confidence as the half wore on.
Goal defence Sanmarie Visser continues to enhance her reputation every time she steps on court, while Jamie van Wyk showed off her versatility after the switch from goal defence to wing defence and her usual back court partner Nicola Smith was solid as ever.
In the championship quarter, Botswana tried to stay in the fight but the defending champions kept them at arms length, Ngubane in particular finding her shooting range, as they closed out the quarter with the score 45-22.
In the final quarter the Proteas maintained their intensity, restricting Botswana to nine goals while scoring a further 22, running out comfortable 67-31 winners, and will now look forward to Saturday’s semifinal.
