Stingy South Africans take down Malawi to earn fifth place finish
South Africa were too strong for a resilient Malawi outfit that go winless through the Fast5 series. Inconsistent shooting combined with impressive defence from South Africa were the deciding factors.
South Africa ended their tournament with a win on the back of some sharp shooting from Deancke Rohde in one of the South African team’s better displays of the series, defeating Malawi 28 -17.
It was a fast start to the 5th vs 6th playoff as Deancke Rhode and Maryka Holtzhausen combined for eight points to give the South African side an 8-5 advantage at the first break.
Neither team would let up in the second as a number of big collisions added an edge to the playoff. South Africa’s Phumza Mwanei and Malawi’s Joyce Mvula battled it out under the post for the majority of the quarter with Maweni gaining the upper hand, holding Malawi’s shooter to just 2/6 shooting for the quarter, with scores tied at 11 at the main break.
The third quarter was another defensive struggle, with South Africa able to smother the Malawian attack and outscore the Malawians 5-4 despite Malawi being in their power play quarter. South Africa entered the final change with a one point advantage and a power play to come.
South Africa leapt into their power play with eight quick points and effectively ended the game. Malawi battled hard to claw the game back but South Africa were too strong, holding on for a 28-17 win.
Malawi go winless and finish in sixth as South Africa claim fifth spot for the 2017 Fast5 series.
“In previous games we opened up wide and the middle was very, very loose. Against Malawi we tried to step up and close the middle. We doubled up the second, and didn’t split too much. We played player to player more,” Phumza Charmaine Maweni said of her side’s defensive display against Mvula.
Despite the winless tournament, Jessie Mazengara vowed her country would come back stronger than ever in 2018.
“The first thing is the fact we didn’t win any game in this tournament. But we hope next year, as you know Fast5 is every year. Next year we are coming back with another fuse. We’ll do it next year,” she said.
