NORTH GAMBIER V EAST GAMBIER


North Gambier so often gets off to a fast start and the weekend was no different when the 16-6 opening quarter against East Gambier set the tone and ultimately set up the victory.


It was youngster Macey Griffith, who is having a break out season, who was the star in attack, shooting 11 straight as she received good supply from Brianna Walters and Kaitlin Egan.


The defensive end was also impressive, only giving up eight scoring shots for the quarter and were it not for the accurate finish of Ambah Beveridge and Renee Henke, the scoreline could have ended even more lopsided for the Bulldogs, who were missing Malinda Foster for the clash.


East Gambier did up the ante in the second quarter but they just had no answer for the slick ball movement of the Tigers, with Griffith again the main focal point with 11 from 13, and the lead was 15.


The third quarter was an arm wrestle with East’s defensive pressure the best it was all game as its offence started to find some synergy and the lead was only increased by one to sit at 16.


Clearly that quarter did not sit well with the Tigers and they came out all guns blazing, scoring at will and creating some impressive turnover ball to win the quarter by 10 and take a 26 goal final whistle victory.


It was actually East’s most prolific scoring quarter but they had no answer to the ability of the Tigers to move the ball quickly and accurately.


Stella Mobbs took the goal shooter bib for the final quarter and netted 14 from 15 in a standout display, after getting the job done at goal keeper for the first three quarters, while Griffith continued her star showing with 10 from 12 in a best on court performance.


Mel Renko continues to impress at goal defence for the Tigers, while Lauran Norman is starting to find her feet as she works back into the line-up after a long injury lay off.


For East, Kimberley Loughhead, who took the wing defence bib in the absence of Morgan Amy, was impressive and Henke led the attack line and finished accurately.


WEST GAMBIER V CASTERTON SANDFORD


West Gambier showed little mercy to South Gambier in round 13 and in round 14 the Roos were keen to again stamp their authority and cement top spot on the premiership standings with a strong win over Casterton Sandford.


The Roos were slow out of the blocks the previous round but there were no such issues at the weekend as their relentless defensive pressure and slick ball movement was on display from the first whistle.


The lead was nine at the first break, 20 at the half, 26 at three quarter time and 30 by the final whistle, after the Cats put in a strong showing for the final 15 minutes of the contest.


Cats utility Holly Smith was the first to get a crack at stopping the scoring power of Sarah Ritter – the toughest task in the 2024 competition – and while she did not let Ritter have it all her own way, Ritter’s positioning and timing on the move and the delivery from Lisa McGregor, Jess Holmes and Tara Bryant is just so accurate that it makes it hard to stop the Roos’ scoring machine.


Her first quarter was a little wayward on the shot by her lofty standards, but from quarter time on she was unstoppable, netting 45 from 47, including a perfect 14 straight in the final quarter.


Caeleigh Humphries took the job on Ritter in the second half and despite some impressive pressure on the feed from Cats wing defender Ebany Jarrad, Ritter was just able to enjoy a lot of clean supply.


Arguably the best battle of the day was in the centre with Bryant playing her usual hard running game and having an influence at both ends of the court, but young Cat Indi Longhurst was the best for her team with her speed and smarts a real factor.


SOUTH GAMBEIR V MILLICENT


Millicent started in impressive style at the weekend, powering to a nine goal quarter time lead with the Saints shooting combination of Nikeisha Facey and Demi Verbena showing they are really starting to gel as a combination, given Verbena was not part of the line-up for the first half of the season.


The second quarter followed a similar script with Facey and Verbena enjoying plenty of supply to push the lead out to 19 at the half.


For the Demons, Gracie Dalton was proving to be a strong target but the story of the contest was supply with Millicent creating too much turnover ball through the defensive pressure of Portia McRae, Lauren VanEeden, Edie Easterby and Lisa Duldig.


It was a glaring stat – South generating 48 scoring opportunities while Millicent had 92.


The final quarter showed the damage Facey could do heading into the finals series, with 17 from 21 and with the classy delivery from Verbena, Lille Paul and Daisy Tunkin, it makes it tough for defenders to deny that supply.


In the end, South Gambier was just no match for the Saints, with defender Ellie Bouchier again the shining light and Dalton working hard in the shooting circle.


Facey and Verbena were best for the Saints.