A review of the Greensborough 1 vs West Preston-Lakeside 1 and Watsonia 1 vs Bundoora 1 netball matches from Round 7.
Section 1 Round 7 – Greensborough 1 vs West-Preston Lakeside 1
Greensborough jumped into sixth place on the Section 1 ladder with a 13-goal win over West Preston-Lakeside in Round 7.
After a close start to the game, the result came down to the final quarter where Greensborough was leading by just one goal going into the last term.
Lakeside took the lead early in the first quarter, but its advantage didn’t last long as Greensborough began to take some control back.
Passes were intercepted by both teams which created some back and forth play. This kept the scores tight in the opening term as both sides forced each other to make errors and throw pressure passes that missed targets and forced intercepts.
Greensborough grabbed intercepts and pushed forward into the scoring third where its shooters moved around the circle well, enabling the Boro to get ahead in the game.
It may have been behind at half time, with the score reading 18 to 22, but the third quarter was where Lakeside demonstrated its best play. The first three goals were shot by Lakeside shooters and this placed the team only one goal behind only a few minutes into the quarter.
Lakeside’s pressure increased and its tight defence held off Greensborough from scoring any goals, as Lakeside tied the scores at 22 – giving it hope of taking the lead for the first time in the game.
Lakeside’s defence snatched rebounds off Greensborough missed shots and swiftly moved the ball down to court for two goals to steal the lead.
In the final minute of the quarter, with scores tied at 29 all, Greensborough forced a held ball against Lakeside and capitalised on the advantage, scoring in the final seconds to finish one goal ahead heading into the last term.
The last quarter began with Greensborough’s centre pass, however its chance to get further ahead was stopped by Lakeside, who turned the ball over and tied the scores again at 30 all.
Greensborough’s defence strengthened throughout the fourth quarter, denying Lakeside any open looks at the ring. Greensborough started to get ahead slowly and Lakeside started to make more mistakes, struggling to make an impact in the final quarter.
As the quarter continued Greensborough continued to stretch its lead as it ran away with its third win of the year.
Final score: Greensborough 1 (48) def West-Preston Lakeside 1 (36)
Section 3 Round 7 – Bundoora 2 vs Watsonia 1
Watsonia 1 secured its place inside the top-four of the Section 3 ladder with nine-goal win over Bundoora 2 in Round 7.
Watsonia opened the game at Parade College with a five-goal lead in the first quarter.
Accurate shooting and strong defensive work, which forced numerous turnovers, helped put Watsonia on top. Its tight pressure continued and there was no stopping the girls as they held a strong advantage over Bundoora for the rest of the game.
The second quarter saw Bundoora pick up its game to close the deficit slightly. With multiple calls made in its favour and strong attacking work throughout the scoring circle, Bundoora looked as though it would have a chance to get ahead in the game.
The pressure increased on Watsonia, who had to work harder for its goals as Bundoora’s confidence grew.
The beginning of the third quarter stayed tight, with only three goals separating the sides. Bundoora’s shooters Nellie Wilson and Ashlee Ozimek lessened the difference, capitalising on strong work from the midcourt.
Watsonia’s defensive work by both Rebecca Jennings and Jessica Schumann was strong as they picked up rebounds and pushed the ball to their attacking third. The girls gave their shooters Anna Kennedy and Georgia Cornell plenty of chances to increase their lead.
Going into the final quarter Watsonia led by seven goals, with the scoreboard reading 22-15.
The Bundoora girls don’t get off to a good start in the last, missing the shot off their centre pass and then losing possession yet again, giving Watsonia the opening two goals.
This set Watsonia off on a scoring streak as the team increased its lead consistently throughout the final quarter.
The Bundoora girls fought hard to closer the margin but despite their efforts they couldn’t close the buffer that Watsonia had created.
The result saw Watsonia retain third place on the ladder with a 4-2 record, while Bundoora slipped to 10th with a 2-5 record after seven rounds.
Final score: Watsonia 1 (31) def Bundoora 2 (22)
