After leading the two opening quarters, the Eastern Cape Comets’ frustrating habit of not suffocating opponents towards the end of games came to the fore again in their Telkom Netball League Division 2 game against the Mpumalanga Sunbirds.
They ended up losing the match 51-49 at the Durban University of Technology Steve Biko campus on Thursday morning.
It was their fifth loss in six matches that have been played in Power Week one of the tournament.
The Comets had possession, were knocking in their shots and dictated the pace of the game in the first 30 minutes.
This resulted in them taking a 13-12 lead in the first quarter and a convincing 29-23 advantage at halftime.
After the break, momentum swung in the Mpumalanga team’s direction.
They closed down the Comets’ passes very well and starved them of ball possession.
The Comets managed to score only seven goals as an extension to the two-quarter lead while the Sunbirds piled on 16.
The third quarter ended in favour of the Sunbirds, 39-36.
The catch-up game was hard for the Comets as the Sunbirds kept responding every time they scored.
Both sides managed 12 points in the fourth quarter.
The Comets’ next game is against the Western Cape Tornadoes on Friday morning (7am) while the Aloes will be playing the Kingdom Stars on Saturday (3pm).
Daily Dispatch
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