A grade – Mount Burr v Tantanoola
The Mid South East Netball Association semi finals threw spectators a nail-biting match as in-form Tantanoola and Mount Burr collided the A Grade clash.
Mount Burr went into the quarter-time break leading by the slimmest of margins, 11-10 over Tantanoola.
Emma Gould started strongly at goal shooter for the Tigers, holding well and finishing off with great footwork and shooting, but Mount Burr’s Sarah Nulty was also prominent with her speed and agility creating play in the circle that was finished off with accurate shooting by her and Ebony Clark.
Mount Burr appeared to step up the tempo in the second quarter and finished with a still narrow lead of 25-23.
Nulty continued to be a problem for the Tigers’ Kate Bromley.
Mount Burr’s defensive pressure also increased with Tantanoola making errors because of it.
Gould continued to be strong for the Tigers in the circle while Heidi Clark was doing an impressive job on Jami Walker, not allowing her into the game with Gould doing much of the shooting.
In the later part of the second quarter, Tantanoola picked up its intensity with Vic Lucas coming into the game and gaining some crucial turnovers for the Tigers.
Mount Burr again started strong in the third quarter and forced Tantanoola into errors, but it was an even affair by quarter’s end with the score tied at 35 a piece.
Mount Burr’s Ava Smith-Muhovics and Laura Schultz were patient around the ring, often faking passes to keep Bromley and Tayla Rowe guessing. But late in the quarter there was a momentum swing and the Tigers scored four quick, unanswered goals.
Tayla Rowe was getting her hands to any balls within reach as well as rebounding strongly.
After a close three quarters, victory was assured for the Tigers in the fourth, with the team winning by nine goals in a fantastic match by both teams.
The wind was starting to play a bit of havoc in the goal circle during the final term as Mount Burr’s goalies began to miss crucial shots, which Tantanoola capitalised on.
Gould was prominent from the start of the quarter and the Tigers started to get on top.
Jami Walker came into the game and shot eight goals without a miss for the quarter.
About half-way through the last quarter, the Burr’s Heidi Clark called time and came off, succumbing to a knee injury.
Tantanoola piled on 18 goals in the last quarter while the Burr managed eight.
A Reserve – Tantanoola v Port MacDonnell
After a strong start by both Tantanoola and Port MacDonnell in the A Reserve match, Port MacDonnell entered the first break with a six-goal lead that extended as the match lingered.
Tantanoola regrouped and came into the second quarter with strong leads from Emma Rathjen and Alana Fensom, allowing them some more entries into attack.
Port MacDonnell’s defensive pressure from Belinda O’Dine, Holly Smith, Isabelle Sneath and Montanna Millard ensured the team was able to secure turnovers and bring the ball into attack.
Megan Hein and Keyarnah Smith shot well, with Hein able to rebound any missed shots.
They were made to earn their goals with Tantanoola’s defenders Georgia Clark and Kelsey Widdison working overtime and getting their hands to quite a few balls.
Tantanoola wing defence Kristy Varcoe and wing attack Narelle Lewis had a tight tussle all game.
Entering the final quarter Port MacDonnell held a 15-goal lead with both teams fatiguing and the wind affecting the work of goal scorers in the circles.
Tantanoola’s Lauren Fensom and Estella Serle shot well, ensuring every goal was scored, however Cody Manning finished off the game in the middle for Port MacDonnell with strong leads to ensure victory by 20 goals to advance to the preliminary final.
B Grade – Tantanoola v Hatherleigh
In another high-scoring affair Tantanoola secured a 17-goal win against Hatherleigh after a strong, even start from both teams in the semi-final tussle.
Tantanoola took a one-goal lead at quarter time,with the second quarter again quite even.
Tiger goalies Bec Millowick and Nicole Rutkowski were accurate with their shooting, only missing a few for the quarter while Hatherleigh’s goalies found it harder to convert.
Both teams scored nine for the term giving Tantanoola a slender lead of one goal at the main break.
Tantanoola picked up the intensity in the third term with Kath Taylor playing a crucial role at wing attack for the Tigers.
The team’s goalies were also on song, piling on 15 goals to Hatherleigh’s six.
Nicole Thomas continued to work hard for the Eagles, first in attack and then switching to wing defence putting on as much pressure as she could.
Jess Bowman worked tirelessly in goal defence as well for Hatherleigh, but was not able to curb the influence of Millowick and Rutkowski.
In the final quarter Hatherleigh tried to pull the score back with changes but the pressure from Tantanoola helped them pull away further, finishing strongly with a 17-goal win to advance to the preliminary final.
B Reserve – Glencoe v Port MacDonnell
Despite outscoring Glencoe by three goals in the final quarter, Port MacDonnell was unable to overcome their opponents in the B Reserve match.
Both Glencoe and Port MacDonnell started strongly with an evenly matched first quarter but Glencoe jumped ahead late in the term, finishing the first quarter with a 14-8 lead.
Glencoe’s goalies stepped up in the second quarter with Britt Liebich and Lauren Kenny playing creative netball in goals and shooting with accuracy.
The team surged ahead to be 27-16 up at the main break.
Port MacDonnell made a change bringing on junior Lara Wilson into goal shooter trying to reduce the lead, but Glencoe was too strong across the court.
Port MacDonnell outscored Glencoe by three goals in the final quarter but the lead was too great and Port MacDonnell were not able to close the gap.
Glencoe’s shooting accuracy and tight defensive pressure allowed them to come away with the win and progress to the preliminary final.
Under 17s – Mount Burr v Robe
After facing a tough loss to Robe in the final round of the home and away season, Mount Burr took the fight to its opponent and came away with the chocolates with a 57-24 victory.
Mount Burr entered the first quarter firing and won the quarter 18-3, scoring the first nine goals for the game.
Maddie Gamble and McKenzie Bevan caused havoc at the defensive end for Robe goalies Maddie Wirth and Sienna Brooks.
Robe soon settled and found some consistency in the line-up, driven through the leadership and tenacity of Ella Mackey in the centre.
Eager to cut back the lead in the second quarter, Mackey moved back to goal keeper, Billie Carter to centre, Adelle Birchall to wing defence and Hayley Wylie entered at wing attack.
Robe defender Maisie Hayes entered the game, taking several intercepts and proving her strength as a rebounder under the post.
Amelia Ballantyne and Kelsi Sharp lifted for Mount Burr to ensure accurate feeds into goalies to reduce the impact of the Robe defenders.
Mount Burr again held the lead heading at half time 28-8.
Mount Burr’s mid-court proved to be unphased by the changes with both players making a smooth transition into the game.
Robes goalies found some consistency in the third for their highest scoring quarter of the game, but Mount Burr again proved hard to stop, leading 43-17.
Despite the Roosters’ persistent tenacity, Mount Burr continued to build their lead and found good form as they progressed easily through to the preliminary final.
Mount Burr won the game 57-24.
Under 15s – Kalangadoo v Port MacDonnell
After a strong first quarter Port MacDonnell took an early four goal lead before dropping off and giving Kalangadoo the opportunity to come into the game and take control of the court.
Kalangadoo regrouped to improve its unforced error tally, forcing Port MacDonnell into errors and become unsettled.
They applied a huge amount of the pressure on the Demon girls, particularly at the Bays’ centre passes, giving them limited opportunities to get the ball to their attack line.
Tegan Lythgo was in sensational form at goal attack for the Magpies, keeping Demon defenders Bridie McPherson and Brooklyn Jones guessing with her slick moves and finishing off with accuracy.
Sophie Lewis and Chloe Peacock ran out the centre position the whole game creating a great contest, both causing turn overs for their teams.
Peacock was instrumental in the court play for Kalangadoo, earning best player and proving vital for her team.
Lara Wilson worked hard in the goal circle for Port MacDonnell creating space and shooting accurately for the Demons.
Magpie defenders Georgia Gentile and Ebony Wurst worked hard for their team to shut down the Demons’ attack.
Jones at goal keeper for Port MacDonnell earned herself best player and fought hard in the goal circle to shut the goal shooter out of play as much as possible.
Overall, Kalangadoo utilised all the players to transition the ball down the court, claiming the win by 24 goals.
Under 13s – Nangwarry v Mount Burr
Mount Burr surged to a comfortable lead after an even first quarter against opponent Nangwarry, proving its quality by leading by seven points by half time.
Kiara Ephia had a great game, playing a half at centre and then moved to goal defence to try and curb the influence of Mount Burr’s goal attack Tilly Gamble and created valuable turnovers to give her team many scoring opportunities.
Kaylee McNair also worked hard at goal keeping for the Saints, rebounding missed opportunities, while the team’s Skye Virtanen at goal attack had a great tussle with Mount Burr goal defence Sara Smith, scoring the majority of her team’s goals.
Mount Burr’s Tilly Gamble played a great game at goal attack, taking lots of interceptions for her team and shooting with accuracy.
She combined well with Holly Lowndes in the goal circle.
The team played a hard defence, turning the ball over many times and taking strong rebounds under the ring.
By the end of the third quarter, their lead had extended to 10, which extended to a 13-goal win by the game’s end after Gamble had a terrific last quarter, shooting seven goals from eight shots.
