Cape Town clinched a first-ever spot in the SPAR National Netball Championships final and will meet Johannesburg for the title in Boksburg on Saturday.
Their 57-51 semifinal comeback win over the Dr Kenneth Kaunda side from North West kicked off the semifinal drama, before Johannesburg’s own last-gasp 46-45 escape against Mangaung.
Knowing they were up against the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far, the Dr Kenneth Kaunda side came out firing from the start.
They surged in front and led by three goals by the first break, which was reached on 12-15.
But the pressure started to tell in the second quarter with silly errors creeping into their game.
Hard-fought turnovers were wasted and the Cape Town defence showed impressive form to make circle entries and scoring increasingly difficult.
There was just one goal in it by halftime (24-25) with the Western Cape side having closed the gap, and a composed second half saw them taking control to wrap up the 57-51 victory.
Goal attack Nicholé Breedt said her side’s come-from-behind victory over Mangaung on Thursday had prepared them for their tough semifinal encounter.
“I think we proved yesterday that we can still come back from behind… It's always going to be a difficult match in the semifinals. The top four teams are always one or two points apart, and I really think the team we just played against is very strong. I mean, they are very well-conditioned and they just give it their all.”
She added that Dr KK having to play an extra, rain-delayed match on Friday morning to book their place in the semifinal may have played into Cape Town’s favour.
“I'm quite happy that they played that match, because I think it took a little bit out of them. I think it made it a little bit easier for us and maybe gave us that little bit extra to just take hold of the game.”
Cape Town Defender Ziyanda Mwezo said her side were looking forward to their first final.
“We've worked hard to be where we are right now. Obviously, the plan is to get the gold and to just be patient. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the game. I mean, it's our first time playing the final, so we just need to gather ourselves and do what we do best,” she said.
JOBURG SURVIVE MANGAUNG SCARE
Later in the afternoon, Mangaung also faced a tough prospect after playing a morning match to book their semifinal spot and then coming up against three-time defending champions Johannesburg in the final four.
But they proved their mettle by dominating the opening half, reaching the first break five goals up (9-14) and extending that margin to seven goals by halftime, which they reached on 19-26.
A flat-looking Johannesburg finally started finding their feet when their captain, Tinita van Dyk, took to the court in the third quarter, which they won by 13 goals to 11.
A tense final quarter followed with a massive comeback effort from the defending champions seeing them taking the lead for the first time with just over three minutes left in the match.
With the clock ticking down and Mangaung throwing everything at them, the Joburgers held their nerve to claim their spot in Saturday’s final by just one goal – the same margin with which they beat the Free State side to take the 2024 title.
Speaking after the match, wing defence Kekeletso Molotsi explained: “The energy on court was just a bit down. We started off looking so defeated. But then as we progressed through the game, we kind of got ourselves out of that hole. And that's what led to the victory.”
Molotsi added that Van Dyk’s presence had made all the difference. “Having her come in made a huge impact. It flipped everything around because she has this thing of just bringing us out of that hole.”
Assistant coach Tshepiso Basiamisi added: “That was a really hard-fought match and I'm really proud of the girls. I think when we started the match, we knew that we didn't start well… but I think the girls have a very good finish. We just really now need to work on the start, so that we're not under pressure because a final is a different ball game.”
Speaking about that final against Cape Town, who beat them in their opening round-robin match of the tournament on Monday, Molotsi added: “We’re prepared. How we started is not how we're playing at the present moment. I believe we grew with the week. So the team that played against them on the first day is not the team that they're going to find tomorrow.”
PLAYOFF MATCHES
In the other senior section playoff matches on Friday, Tshwane fought back from six goals down at halftime to beat eThekwini 42-38, while Nelson Mandela Bay won their first match of the week to beat Cape Winelands 50-36 and secure seventh place.
Meanwhile, Johannesburg kept their under-21 title defence on course by winning their semifinal against 2023 champions Tshwane 46-32 to book a place in Saturday’s final where they’ll meet the team from North West, Dr Kenneth Kaunda. That’s after their 44-39 semifinal victory over Cape Town.
RESULTS
SENIOR A SECTION
Nelson Mandela Bay 37 – 64 Dr Kenneth Kaunda
eThekwini 33 – 44 Mangaung
5th/6th playoff: Tshwane 42 – 38 eThekwini
7th/8th playoff: Cape Winelands 36 – 50 – Nelson Mandela Bay
SF1: Cape Town 51 – 57 Dr Kenneth Kaunda
SF2: Johannesburg 46 – 45 Mangaung
UNDER-21 A SECTION
Johannesburg 46 – 32 Tshwane
Dr Kenneth Kaunda 44 – 39 Cape Town