Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE’S Gems may have stumbled to a 59-38 defeat at the hands of Uganda yesterday but they remain in the hunt for a top-four finish at the ongoing African Netball Championships in Lilongwe, Malawi.
The Gems had a remarkable performance in their first game of the tournament, overpowering Namibia 48-36, but yesterday they came a cropper against the tougher Ugandans.
According to reports from Malawi, Zimbabwe appeared to have a grip in the game, taking a two-goal advantage at the half-time break.
However, the Zimbabweans’ celebrations were short-lived as the team got subdued under pressure and started to falter.
In the shooting circle, they made mistakes and were losing possession every now and again while the mid-court failed to shoulder the burden.
Uganda carried their dominance into the third stanza and were up by more than 10 goals by the third-quarter break.
Coach Ropafadzo Mutsauki made several changes in the last quarter, hoping that his side would fight for the struggling side.
But Uganda continued to enjoy the upper hand throughout to claim a 59-38 victory.
“I thought we had a good start but then we made mistakes in the first quarter and throughout the game, which cost us the game, it’s very unfortunate,” said Gems Assistant coach Pepetua Siyachitema.
“Uganda is a powerhouse, we had the chance to beat them but then I think we ran out of legs, we tried to bring in changes but we could not recover.
“Uganda is a good side, but I believe that our travel arrangements and the busy schedule that we just had of late cost us.”
The Gems will face Kenya in their last group match, with a win set to place them in second position in their group.
With a second position, they will have to face top finishers in Group A in the semi-final.
Their route to the final, however, is an unenviable task as they look set to meet giants South Africa.
Should they fall to the South Africans, the Gems would then have to aim for the bronze.
But before they can dream of all that, they would need to get Kenya out of the way after a brief tournament recess.
“We are taking the two-day break to rest and reboot; it has not been easy for us remember we had a busy schedule, so we never had enough time to rest,” said Siyachitema.
