Heat 2 picked up an impressive win in their Division 2 clash with Ivanhoe 1 in the 2023-24 NFNL senior summer netball season, claiming a 12-goal victory at La Trobe Sports Stadium.
A five-goal deficit at half time kept Ivanhoe in the game but a 22-15 second half ensured Heat’s lead was never threatened, as they went on to win 37-25.
Two seven-goal quarters from goal shooter Jacqui Sampson helped Heat keep things in control. She finished with 20 goals while Bree Florance was terrific in her own right in the attacking circle, ending the night with 17 goals.
Jessica Kerr and Tara Murphy also had great moments for the eventual victors while Ivanhoe centre Catherine Bubbers was a standout for her side on the court.
Sampson was influential under the net from the first play, with her ability to gain rebounds allowing her to keep the scoreboard ticking for Heat early in the match.
She scored seven of her side’s 10 first term goals, with Heat keeping Ivanhoe to just six goals of their own.
Ivanhoe evened things up in the second quarter, largely thanks to the effort of Bubbers, who was determined to win every loose ball while producing some important intercepts along the way, opening opportunities up for her side to win the ball back defensively.
Bubbers’ opponent in Tara Murphy did well in making the centre battle an intriguing one, as she too was able to keep pushing the ball forward for her side.
Despite Ivanhoe’s best efforts, Heat still managed to extend their advantage by half time as they produced a five-goal lead.
A higher scoring third term followed, with both teams finding more avenues to goal.
Heat took things up a notch in the quarter. Their patience with the ball in hand while also having the ability to win ball back defensively saw Heat continue to extend the lead.
Meanwhile, Tara Murphy’s move to wing defence halfway through the term gave the Heat’s midcourt an extra defensive punch.
Ivanhoe did manage a nine-goal quarter, with Charlotte Hooker and Paris Testolin sharing the scoring load, but Heat put through an impressive 12 goals of their own, with Sampson leading the way again with another seven-goal term. It extended Heat’s lead to eight ahead of the final term.
Karrie Browning was excellent in the midcourt for Heat during the fourth quarter, constantly opening up opportunities for her side in attack and feeding some great passes in the circle.
By lifting their work rate throughout the last term, Heat was able to win a fourth consecutive quarter to eventually prevail by 12 goals.
