Romelda Aiken-George, Jamaica’s prolific goal shooter, has vowed that the Sunshine Girls will come out with “guns blazing” in the fourth and final game of the Horizon Series against England. This bold declaration comes on the heels of the team’s nail-biting 50-49 victory over the English side.

The Sunshine Girls delivered a scintillating performance, edging England 50-49 to level the series at 1-1 at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Monday.

This win sets the stage for a decisive fourth match, scheduled to take place at 7:00 pm at the same venue tonight.

Aiken-George led the scoring for the Sunshine Girls with 30 goals from 34 attempts. She got support from Shanice Beckford, who scored 19 goals from 23 attempts, and Rhea Dixon, who got one from two.

For England, Helen Housby was perfect with five from five, Lois Pearson got 18 goals from 21 attempts, and Olivia Tchine scored 26 from 27.

According to Aiken-George, the Sunshine Girls’ primary focus is on recovery ahead of the decisive fourth match.

“For us, it’s about ensuring we’ve recovered well,” she said. “Fitness is an area we’re continually working on, and we had moments in the game where we lapsed. Tomorrow’s [today’s] match is going to be huge. So we have to make sure we recovered well, eat well, and come out like we did tonight [yesterday],” she told the Jamaica Observer.

The Sunshine Girls burst out of the gates, determined to keep their series hopes alive. They sprinted to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter, with just under three minutes played, as the energetic crowd cheered them on.

Maintaining their momentum, the Jamaicans extended their lead to 9-4 with over five minutes remaining in the quarter. However, the Roses refused to back down, staging a fierce comeback to narrow the deficit to 12-10 by the end of the quarter, with the home team holding a slender advantage.

England came out strong in the second quarter, quickly overturning the Sunshine Girls’ lead to go ahead 13-12 with just two minutes played.

However, the Jamaicans swiftly regained their footing, scoring two unanswered goals to reclaim the lead at 15-13. They then unleashed a flurry of five more unanswered goals, stretching their advantage to 20-13 with less than nine minutes remaining in the half.

Despite the significant deficit, the English team refused to give up, mounting a spirited late rally to trim the Jamaicans’ lead to 26-23 by the half-time break.

The Sunshine Girls demonstrated their unwavering determination to win, surging to a seven-point lead over the Roses in the third quarter, 32-25, with under 10 minutes remaining.

The crowd was electric, cheering on the Jamaicans as they traded goals with the English team in a fiercely competitive exchange. However, England’s resilience paid off once again, as they managed to narrow the deficit to 38-35, setting the stage for a thrilling final quarter.

The fourth and final quarter was a nail-biting, intense affair, with both teams giving it their all. The Sunshine Girls clung to a slender three-point lead for most of the quarter as the tension mounted.

The crowd’s deafening cheers and chants of support pushed the Jamaicans to dig deep and find the strength to hold on. In a heart-stopping finish, the Sunshine Girls emerged victorious, winning by a single point in a truly unforgettable match-up.