Lalor 3 and South Morang 3’s Section 10 encounter went right down to the wire, with the Bloods grabbing a one-goal victory with the last shot of the game at Mernda Central College.
The match was tight all night. Scores were level at the first break before the Lions created a one-goal advantage at half time. Lalor then had a strong third term to take a three-goal advantage into the final quarter.
It was a last stanza full of intensity and competitiveness. Neither side were able to break open the game, with both sides going goal for goal in the final few minutes before the Bloods pipped the Lions at the final siren, scoring the final shot attempt of the game to win 28-27.
The triumph was Lalor 3’s first win in the 2023 senior winter netball competition, a welcome reward after challenging third place Bundoora 8 to the limit last week. South Morang 3 meanwhile were incredibly close to making it three straight games unbeaten.
Tui Te Whaiti was the top scorer on the court, shooting 16 of the Bloods’ 28 goals for the night. Her efforts in the third term, scoring all eight goals for the quarter, was crucial to getting her side back in the game.
Jasmine Adams provided some assistance inside the shooting circle with 12 goals while Sarah Shortal came up with some clutch intercepts for Lalor in goal defence while also pulling down some strong rebounds.
For South Morang, Natalia Poposka finished with 13 goals while Natasha Ravalli chipped in with 11, seven of those coming in a solid second term for her side.
The duo would contribute to the Lions’ strong start to the match, as they combined to score the first four goals in the opening term.
But it didn’t take long for the Bloods to find their flow, rounding out the quarter in impressive fashion to tie thing sup at quarter time.
In what would be a sign of things to come, both sides traded goals throughout most of the second term, but Ravalli’s seven goal quarter not only helped the Lions keep up, but it allowed them to create a slight lead at the main break.
As the third quarter went on, Lalor would start to win the ball back in their defensive third on multiple occasions, it halted the Lions attacking flow as a result and quickly gave the Bloods the ascendancy in the contest.
Lalor produced an eight-goal term for the second straight quarter, but this time only allowed South Morang to register four goals, opening up a three-goal lead at the final break.
The final term was intense as both teams had chances to win the match. The Bloods connectivity around the court was a highlight in this term and after trading goals with the opposition in the last few moments, Lalor would have the last say, scoring the last goal as the siren sounded to win by a single goal.
