Stanhope and Girgarre under-age netball teams have won their way through to Kyabram District League grand finals with qualifying semi-final wins at Stanhope on Saturday.
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Girgarre was unbeaten at the end of the home and away season and there is daylight between it and the rest of the field — as evidenced by the 41-5 semi-final win against second-ranked Nagambie in the final.
Teams have scored only 79 goals against Girgarre and the side’s attack has scored almost 200 more goals than any other team in the competition.
Things are a little tighter in the Under-15 competition, where Stanhope and its semi-final opponent Dookie United both finished with 13 wins and one loss for the season.
Stanhope’s defence was by far the competition pace-setter, but at the offensive end, the Lions were only the third best performed attacking unit.
On Saturday, Stanhope’s Under-15 team blasted out of the blocks on the back of that tight-checking defence, allowing Dookie to score just seven first-half goals while shooting 19.
The 12-goal margin was cut significantly in the second half, but Stanhope was still a comfortable winner, 38-31.
Jenna Quattrocchi and Ava Turner combined to blanket their goaling opposition in the first half, with support from wingers Meila Child and Taylah Gray.
At the opposite end, captain Matilda Schubach shot 11 first-half goals and finished the game with 22 goals as Amity Wright was cast in the support role with 16 goals.
Despite being outscored by five in the second half, Bella Davis controlled the mid-court and Brooke O’Shannassy came onto the court to replace Elliott Porch.
– Girgarre used nine played in its Under-13s win, Regan Scoble setting the standard in goals with 27 goals in the opening three terms.
Captain Kade Starling started on a wing before moving to centre, while defenders Jaida Miller and Sophie McDonald kept Nagambie to one goal in the first half.
Jorji Dedini supported Scoble in goals, while Tayla Starling also had a stint in the feeding role for the Girgarre team in its 36 goal win.
– Lancaster’s Under-13s season ended at the hands of Murchison-Toolamba after the Wombats had won through the first week of the finals a week earlier.
In a thrilling comeback, the Wombats fell just two goals short of recovering from a six-goal three-quarter-time deficit, losing 23-25 despite a brilliant final term from Immogen Buntine.
She started at wing attack before spending a quarter in centre and finished in goals, shooting 10 of Lancaster’s 14 second-half goals.
Lancaster was six apiece with its opponent at quarter-time, before co-captain Isla McCormick and Ruby Thomson came under constant pressure in the second term.
The late comeback was led by mid-court stars Phoebe Perrella and Jacob Duke as the Wombats fell just shy of continuing their premiership hunt.
– A 12-goal half-time lead helped Stanhope hang on in its C-grade semi-final with Merrigum and the Lions will now play in a preliminary final at Dookie on Saturday for a place in the grand final.
Hayley Trevena shot all but one of Stanhope’s 14 first-quarter goals and by half-time Stanhope was in control on the back of defensive work from Bianca Atley, Emily Argus and Tegan Morrison.
Merrigum cut the deficit by four with a strong second-half response, led by captain Anna Bray in defence and a 13-goal second-half from Teneisha Deery.
Paige Hogan had an entertaining battle with Stanhope’s Amber Lunney and Charlotte Grealy in the centre as both teams swung the changes in the second half.
– Stanhope B-grade side’s season is over after it never recovered from a five-goal quarter-time deficit and lost by that margin in its match with Nagambie on Sunday.
Emily Uhe shot all eight of the first quarter Stanhope goals and finished the match with 31 goals in the 53-48 defeat.
Stanhope trailed by seven goals at half-time, before cutting the margin back to two goals at the final break on the back of co-captain Ella Turpin’s work in defence and the mid-court play of Morgan Evans and Shanae Fisher.
Uhe and Jinaya Nurse did their bit in the final term, but could not make up the early deficit and Nagambie moved forward in the premiership race.
– Girgarre was jumped at the start of its Under-15s elimination final at Nagambie on Sunday, trailing by 12 goals at half-time and never recovered.
Captain Jessie McDonald and defensive partner Mia Munro were under constant pressure, while despite a great third term from Mikayla Kuiper and Neve Pethybridge the Kangaroos could never make up the difference.
Girgarre eventually lost the game 45-26, with Darcee McNeil spending the entire game in the mid-court trying to stem the tide.
McKenzie Parsons worked in both offence and defence as all 11 Girgarre squad members had court time in the final.
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