PROMISING player Crystal Plummer is urging her teammates to remain focused and composed as Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls prepare to face South Africa in the second game of the three-test Margaret Beckford series today.

This crucial encounter, set for 7:00 pm at National Indoor Sports Centre, promises to be a thrilling one, with Jamaica holding a 1-0 lead in the series following their 55-47 victory in game one.

Shimona Jok, the star shooter, was unstoppable, sinking 38 goals from 39 attempts. Her supporting cast delivered impressive performances as well, with Shanice Beckford netting 11 goals from 12 attempts, Simone Gordon adding three goals from four attempts, and Rhea Dixon chipping in with three goals from four attempts.

However, the South Africans are not ready to concede. Led by Elmere van der Berg and Rolene Streutker, who scored 18 and 17 goals, respectively, in game one, they are determined to level the series and prove their mettle.

“The first game was good. To start the series with a win, I think it is good for us. I think the team’s performance was good as we never knew really what we were going up against or what to expect from South Africa,” Plummer told the Jamaica Observer.

“We started out cheekily in the first couple of minutes in the game but then we gathered ourselves well and I think we did very well from there on, having an eight-goal win at the end. We don’t want to be overconfident going into the game because we know that they’re going to come harder than they did in game one,” Plummer assessed.

Despite the confident start to the series, Plummer acknowledged that there are areas for improvement.

“Training has been okay going into this game — we’ve been working on fixing up some areas that we need to improve on. South Africa is going to come hard at us and we just have to stay focused and do what the coaches [Sasher-Gaye Henry-Wright and Kurt Dale] ask us to do,” she reasoned.

The atmosphere at National Indoor Sports Centre is expected to be electric, with a vocal crowd cheering on the Sunshine Girls, but Plummer and her teammates know that they can’t let the crowd’s energy distract them from the task at hand.

“It is going to be a rough game for sure but once we come out, play, and do what the coaches ask us to do, I think we will win again,” Plummer said.