A 61-31 victory for the Fiji Baby Pearls netball team over Gibraltar yesterday saw them book a ticket to face Samoa in the semi-finals of the ninth to 12th place playoffs at the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup this morning.
The match against Gibraltar took place at the Tercentenary Sports Hall.
The Pearls began the match strongly, fielding shots through the hoop to earn them a 17-5 lead over the home side in the first quarter.
As the second quarter unfolded, they upped the ante with 35-13 lead at half-time.
Gibraltar picked up pace however they were still no match for the visitors who led by 48 points as they trailed behind with 23 at the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter saw Fiji adamant in its pursuit to solidify a win and launch themselves into the next stage of play-offs with the 61-31 win.
The Pearls played in match 46 of the tournament, and competition draws showed they would play the winner of match 48, Samoa.
Samoa, finishing third in Pool B, had won 62-46 over neighbours Tonga, finishing fourth in Pool C in their quarter-final match.
The first two quarters of their match saw them contest a close points difference; 16-11 in the first quarter and 28-23 in the second.
Samoa extended their lead much further in the third quarter with 47-35 before their final score of the 62-46 in the last quarter.
Meanwhile, the Baby Pearls faced Samoa at 5am today.
