Sea Lake-Nandaly versus Donald
“A” Grade: With another new look side Donald started off very well. The quarter was played with intensity. They worked very hard accross the board. Strong drives and attack from the midcourt helped get the ball into the goal ring. Don. 13, SLNT 11. Donald’s defence worked well, gaining a few rebounds and putting a lot of pressure on SLNT attackers. SLNT settled into the game and continued to press hard. Their strength through the midcourt was making it tough for Donald to penetrate. SLNT managed a few turnovers and took the lead. Half: SLNT 22, Don. 18. Donald found it a little hard to keep up in the third. However, continuing to work hard. The defence was under a lot of pressure with the ball coming in quick. The attackers tried their hardest to find space and make plays, and were able to find the back of the ring a few times. However, not quite enough, and the gap was extended. SLNT 33, Don. 26. Donald came out firing in the last, ready to play. They worked well, and put a lot of pressure on SLNT attackers. The goalers were able to add to the score board and reward the defensive work. Donald fought back hard and closed the gap at one point to 4 goals. But a couple of quick breaks from SLNT saw them push it back out to win by 8. SLNT 42, Don. 34. Awards Scarlett Funcke, Grace Leeder.
“B” Grade: Donald came out firing from the start. Midcourt controlled the centre court with intercepts leading to the first 2 goals. Some great driving in the goal ring saw the goals flow. Donald defenders kept the pressure up. Don. 14, SLNT 10. SLNT worked hard but the pressure from Donald was strong. Defenders were rebounding well, whilst the 3ft pressure caused a headache for the Tigers. Don. 26, SLNT 23. The Tigers pressure increased in the 3rd. In the centre court Donald continued to hold its ground. The shooters stood strongly and converted despite the close attention. The defenders drove well with some great strong passes out of defence. Don. 39, SLNT 35. Donald managed to increase the pressure and create mistakes from SLNT in the middle. The Tigers regrouped in the last with some lovely goals scored. An injury late in the last saw Addison Funcke take to the court for her first “B” grade game. Donald’s strong court presence saw us come away with a great win to start the year. Final: Don. 52, SLNT 40, Awards Zara Staples, Brenna Green.
“C” Grade: Both teams going into the match knowing it was to be a tough one. Both came out firing from the first whistle, moving well and converting on all opportunities. First change was 7 apiece. In the second quarter, Donald knew it had to work hard to stay with the tough competitors, and working much better, it steadied down the attack end. With some great play Donald took the lead. Don. 19, SLNT 14. In the second half, both sides’ shooting accuracy proved to be the strong point of the game, but that didn’t stop the defenders from putting on great pressure and working hard. This quarter was goal-for-goal. Don. 29, SLNT 23. In the last quarter, Donald kept up the intensity making SLNT work hard for every goal. Donald was able to push ahead and take away a lovely win. Don. 38, SLNT 32. Awards: Caitlin Cavanagh and Emma Burke.
17“B”: Donald came out strongly from the first whistle, wi