Woods Panthers move closer to top four by downing Stellar Homes Garville 47-38

Woods Panthers have defeated Garville by 9 goals in their Tuesday night clash at Netball SA Stadium moving them closer to the fourth placed Health and Life Phoenix after round 13 of the Subway Cup.

ETSA Contax also helped the Panthers cause, defeating the Phoenix by 22 goals and moving the two sides closer in percentage. 

For Garville it was a case of what might have been after they could not convert stolen possession into goals to pressure the Panthers at crucial stages of the match.

Garville got a very early advantage with a 2 goal lead in the opening exchanges of the match but scores were levelled five minutes in after some good shooting from Woods GS Kim Walker.

The quarter then remained very even as Garville WA Hannah Horlin-Smith and Woods WA Alice Murt displayed good speed around the court to lead their respective attacking lines. Woods then took advantage of some costly Garville errors to lead by 4 goals at the first break.

Garville started the better again in the second quarter getting the lead down to two goals but errors in attack were hurting the side. GK Tamika Arias and GD Gabby Stengle were creating good opportunities for Garville but they couldn’t convert turnover ball into goals.

Not to be out done were the Woods defensive duo of GD Kate Shimmin and GK Sally Fuller who had employed the ‘Harrison Hoist’, more commonly known as the ‘chairlift’, to varying degrees of success, delighting the Woods bench and supporters.

With defence dominating the quarter, the contest was kept close with Woods holding a 2 goal lead at half time.   

After a sloppy start to the third quarter, Woods were able to settle and gain solid momentum for the first time in the match. Ball movement became much more fluid through the transition and was quick enough to not allow Garville to settle in defence.

Woods improved play through the mid-court also allowed Walker and GA Emma Thomas more opportunities in the circle and they obliged, sinking 15 goals from 17 attempts. At the final break Woods had opened up an 8 goal lead.

Woods continued their momentum into the opening of the final quarter leading by 11 goals and looking to put the match out of reach. Garville continued to press and managed to get the lead down to seven goals but once again couldn’t capitalise on turned over possession.

With holding a 10 goal lead in the dying minutes of the match, the task became too great for Garville and intensity dropped. Woods controlling the final moments to win by 9 goals.

Panthers coach Trudy Barker said that while the game may not have been pretty the side did some good things and were happy with the win.

“It was a good game, we led probably from the front from the word go, we started well with positive with Kimmy [Walker] coming back from injury and also just mixing it up in defence.

“We needed to react to some of the situations, they need to as a group react earlier, I think when we did that, that changed the game and I thought we showed glimpses of it.

“It wasn’t a pretty game to watch but it was a good game to come away with the win.”

Garville coach Jackie Blyth, while disappointed, was also pleased of her side’s ability to take elements of their play from training into the match.

“We’re improving.

“We wanted to win, so we’re disappointed. We’re disappointed in ourselves that there was one quarter that we do not play well and the goalers are disappointed because they weren’t as accurate as they have been.

“Their goalers were pretty dead eyed tonight, pretty hot. They were pretty good and accurate.

“We didn’t play too badly there were some things wrong but there were some things that we’ve done at training that worked, I was really pleased that they made that happen.”

In the other Tuesday night round 13 matches ETSA Contax continued their good form defeating Health and Life Phoenix 59-37. The Contours Matrics consolidated second spot on the ladder in a close game with Spring Gully Newton Jaguars winning 56-45.

Quarter-by-quarter scores:

Q1:   Panthers  15 – 11  Garville

Q2:   Panthers  22 – 20  Garville

Q3:   Panthers  37 – 29  Garville

Q4:   Panthers  47 – 38  Garville

Match Shooting Stats:

Panthers   47/58   81.03%

K. Walker:   31/35   88.57%

E. Thomas:   16/23   69.57%

Garville   38/54   70.37%

G. Virgo:   28/37   75.68%

C. Drogemuller:   10/17   58.82%

ETSA Contax stretch Subway Cup lead with win over Contours Matrics

The ETSA Contax have stretched their lead to 5 points in the 2012 Subway Cup after defeating the Contours Matrics 57-49 at Netball SA Stadium on Friday night.

The 8 goal margin certainly does not tell the tale of the match after an extremely tight affair that saw Contax open the deficit in the final quarter.

Although succumbing to their second loss in a row, Matrics were a much improved side to the one defeated by Woods Panthers a week earlier.

The first quarter was very even and lived up to the crowd’s expectations as they watched the top of the table clash. Both sides displayed good ball movement through the mid-court as play seamlessly went from end to end.

Matrics C Kyra Brown and WA Sheree Wingard showed excellent patience on the edge of their attacking circle as the Contax defenders applied strong pressure.  Both sides gained small leads during the quarter but at the first break scores were, deservedly, level.

Contax continued there superb defensive pressure into the second quarter but penalties crept into the game allowing the patient Matrics to open up a 4 goal advantage.

Contax were able to take the lead briefly but an intercept from Matrics GD Sarah Kennedy put her side back on attack and they converted possession into goals. By half time Matrics had once again opened up a 4 goal lead.

Third quarter play was once again very even as both sides continued the physical battle across the court. The Contax defence was starting to wear the Matrics down enabling them to level the scores 8 minutes into the quarter.

Match speed noticeably quickened as both sides try to gain momentum but it was the Contax who found it. Strong work around the attacking circle from Contax GA Amanda Martin enabled quick ball for herself and shooting partner Casey Gregory. Contax taking a 2 goal lead into the final quarter with the match hanging in the balance.

Some super defence from Contax GK Georgia Beaton enabled her side to continue their third quarter momentum early in the last quarter. The lead crept out to 5 goals early and had Matrics under pressure.

However, Matrics continued to battle hard and a comeback could not be ruled out but with time winding down turnovers crept into their game. Contax took advantage and executed possession well and at one stage held and 11 goal lead.

Matrics were able to claw a few goals back late in the quarter but time and a controlled Contax side would keep the final margin to 8 goals.

Leanne Eichler stated how important the Contax defensive game had to be against a strong Matrics frontline and was happy with her player’s decision making during the match.

“It was probably setup with our second half, it was the one thing to have a shoot-out with Matrics being so powerful up forward so I guess it was always going to be a bit of a defensive game.

“We try to and identify opportunities during the game where we can put the pedal down, but there’s girls out there with experience and they know when to do it,” she said.

Matrics coach Jacqui Illman said that while her side was much more consistent she felt they could have won the game but they need to maintain for the full sixty minutes.

“I thought we were much more consistent, I thought our first half was very good and we had patches in the second half but we have to able to maintain for four quarters to beat a side by Contax.

“At times we handled it [Contax defensive pressure] really, really well but there were times where we got frustrated or we blazed away when we shouldn’t have, so again it’s just the inconsistency that cost us.”

The Royal Cougars won the other round 12 Friday night game, defeating Stellar Homes Garville 63-41 and on Saturday the Health and Life Phoenix defeated Woods Panthers in a thrilling match that went down to the final seconds. The score was 52-51.

Quarter-by-quarter scores:

Q1:   Matrics  13 – 13  Contax

Q2:   Matrics  28 – 24  Contax

Q3:   Matrics  37 – 39  Contax

Q4:   Matrics 49 – 57  Contax

Match Scoring Statistics:

Contax   57/72   79.17%

C. Gregory:   36/45   80%

A. Martin:   21/27   77.78%

Matrics   49/64   76.56%

L. Packard:   35/46   76.09%

S. Hentschel:   14/18   77.78%

Woods Panthers lift intensity to post second win in a row

The Woods Panthers have defeated the Contours Matrics 53-46 in an intense Subway Cup battle to post their second win in a row at Netball SA Stadium on Friday night.

Woods have been building good momentum of late and will look to continue their good form against the Health and Life Phoenix this Saturday as the middle of the Subway Cup ladder tightens up.

The Matrics suffered just their second loss of the season and will face the only other team to defeat them this season on Friday night, the undefeated ETSA Contax.

The intensity of the match was very high right from the get go, with Woods controlling their possession to break out to an early 4 goal lead. Kath Knott at goal GS for Woods started well while Kate Shimmin was excellent at GK.

Matrics adjusted well to the early Woods’ momentum and remained patient in attack with C Kyra Brown and WA Sheree Wingard combining well. Mid-way through the quarter Matrics levelled the scores.

However, Woods were able to open their lead up on the back of good defensive pressure to lead by 4 goals at quarter time.

With Shimmin rebounding strongly, Matrics brought star shooter Cody Lange in to the game but the Woods defence continued to dominate the quarter as Woods moved out to a 9 goal lead just four minutes in.

WD Claire Alvino and GD Fiona Crowe were supporting Shimmin well with Beth Shimmin at C  providing the link during transitional play.

Play settled through the quarter with Matrics beginning to become more patient allowing for what was to become a significant momentum shift late in the quarter.  Matrics scoring the last 7 goals of the quarter to cut the lead to 4 goals at half time after Woods had been in front by 11 goals.

The beginning of the third quarter saw scoring go on centre pass with both side’s attack lines looking smooth and the shooters capitalising on nice feeds from their mid-courters.  But as with the first half the match was based on momentum and, who could gain it usually used it to their advantage.

Once again Woods stole the momentum off the back of defensive rebounds and once again they went out to an 11 goal lead through the quarter, with Knott displaying strong aerial and groundwork play in the circle. Woods holding a 10 goal advantage into the final quarter.

Although they remained quite composed, Matrics’ sense of urgency picked up in the final quarter as they faced a massive task to close the gap. A comeback was looking like coming to fruition with Woods losing composure early and Matrics GA Laura Packard shooting well.

However, two intercepts from Sally Fuller who had come into to GK, ultimately shutout and chance of a miracle Matrics comeback with Woods closing the match out with a 7 goal victory.

Woods coach Trudy Barker was happy with her side’s solid performance and beating the second place side on the ladder.

“It was a solid four quarters, I thought the last quarter in the end was probably disappointing on our behalf because we didn’t push through.

“I was happier with the way our style of play was starting to flow on, defensively I thought our game was pretty good all the way down the court,” she said.

While Matrics coach Jacqui Illman said that controlling momentum played a big part in the match and consistency let her side down at times.

“It was a very physical game, we knew that, it always is against Woods and it was hard fought and there were patches where we came back but we weren’t consistent enough.

“There were a couple of occasions where the lead did get out to 10 or 11 and both times we fought back, got it back to within about 4 so I guess that’s a positive we can take out of it, but obviously we’re not happy that we couldn’t go on with it though.”

In the other round 11 matches played on the weekend, Health and Life Phoenix defeated The Royal Cougars 52-44 while the ETSA Contax continue their dominance defeating Spring Gully Newton Jaguars 55-39. Garville had the bye.

Quarter-by-Quarter scores:

Q1:   Woods  15 – 11  Matrics

Q2:   Woods  27 – 23  Matrics

Q3:   Woods  44 – 34  Matrics

Q4:   Woods  53 – 46  Matrics

Shooting:

Woods    53/63   84.13%

K. Knott:   41/46   89.13%

E. Thomas:   12/17   70.79%

Matrics   46/61   75.41%

L. Packard:   16/20   80%

S. Hentschel:   8/15   53.33%

C. Lange:   22/26   84.62%

Garville cause big upset with first win of 2012 Subway Cup

Garville have stunned an inconsistent Health and Life Phoenix 55-54, to claim their first win of the 2012 Subway Cup season at Netball SA Stadium on Friday night.

In an extremely tense finish both sides had chances to win the match but it was the young Garville side that held their composure in the dying minutes to claim a 1 goal victory.

Garville’s never say die attitude helped the side take advantage of a patchy performance from the Phoenix, who led for most of the game.

Phoenix started well in the first quarter converting defensive rebounds into goals as the Garville shooters missed some early attempts. Kate Kilpatrick at WA and Erin Scheepens at C for the Phoenix were feeding their goalers well making defence hard work for Garville.

However, after taking control early on in the match, Phoenix seemed to drop their intensity allowing Garville to stay in the game. Phoenix held a 3 goal lead a quarter time.

A tight battle ensued across the court to start the second quarter as Phoenix made a change to their defensive line. Co-captains Luka Thompson and Dalice Kennedy swapped GD and GK bibs in an effort to contain Garville GS Georgie Virgo. Virgo once again was showing her athleticism and good handling under the lob pass to take the ball under good pressure from Kennedy and Thompson.

At one stage Phoenix broke out to a 6 goal lead but could not put Garville away as mistakes crept in late in the quarter, holding a 4 goal lead at half time.

The third quarter was much like the first two with Phoenix going out to a 6 goal lead early in the quarter. But, once again errors crept into their game and Garville were able to get back into the game. Gabby Stengle provided some good impact coming on at GD for Garville picking her moments to attack the ball.

By the final break Garville had reduced the lead to 1 goal and had built some momentum going into the last quarter.

Sensing the closeness of the match, both sides lifted the intensity in the final quarter with lead changes frequent. The pressure of the final quarter was transcending the court into the crowd as nerves were building both on and off the court.

Two misses in the final minute for Phoenix helped a more composed Garville, led by GA Chloe Drogemuller, get home.

 Garville coach Jackie Blyth said her side put in a solid sixty minutes to come away with the win.

“I think the last quarter was indicative of all four quarters. It was solid, solid work for the whole sixty minutes and that’s one of things we’ve talked about and then worked on it and eventually it’s come to fruition.

“It was great to have the win but it was great how it happened which was the girls sticking to the game plan. I was really wrapped that they stuck to the game plan.” Blyth said.

Phoenix co-captain Dalice Kennedy put her side’s loss down to wanting it and having the self-belief to go on with leading positions.

“It was a really tough game and they were really physical and at the end of the day they pushed themselves over the line more then what we were willing to push ourselves.

“I really think it’s a mental thing, we’ve got the fitness and we’ve got the team and the we have the ability so I have a lot belief in the team so we just have to keep spending time and reflecting on how we get to that next level.”

In other round 10 matches played on the weekend, Woods Panthers also caused an upset defeating Spring Gully Newton Jaguars 59-44 on Friday night. Saturday’s match saw Contours Matrics defeat The Royal Cougars 65-38.

Quarter by quarter scores:

Q1:   Phoenix  15 – 12  Garville

Q2:   Phoenix  27 – 23  Garville

Q3:   Phoenix  41 – 40  Garville

Q4:   Phoenix  54 – 55  Garville

Shooting Percentages:

Garville   55/75   73.33%

G. Virgo:   44/58   75.56%

C. Drogemuller:   11/17   64.7%

Phoenix   54/67   80.59%

K. Jarrett:   37/46   80.46%

M. Gibb:   6/9   66.66%

M. Rowland:   11/12   91.66%

Third quarter ambush gives The Royal Cougars win over Spring Gully Newton Jaguars

An astonishing third quarter in the round 9 Subway Cup match between The Royal Cougars and Spring Gully Newton Jaguars has moved the Cougars to fourth spot after their 57-50 win on Tuesday night at Netball SA Stadium.

After being behind by 7 goals at half time the Cougars put on 20 goals to the Jaguars’ 5 in the third quarter to build their own lead of 8 goals by the final break.

It was an incredible turn around from the Cougars, who struggled for rhythm during the entire first half and won just one quarter in the match.

Both sides settled into to the first quarter by scoring on centre pass possession for much of the quarter. The Jaguars eventually built a small lead after taking advantage of loose passing from the Cougars.

Jaguar’s keeper Jenna Mendo was at her intercepting best, plucking long passes out of the air and shutting down Cougars possession. GA Jess Hazel was also in good form shooting the Jaguars out to a 5-goal lead at quarter time.

Discipline in defence was a problem for the Cougars in the first quarter and this continued, as Jaguars C Nicole Wood and WA Shannon Penn, combined well at the edge of the circle.

As the Jaguars mid-court focussed on good ball movement, they extended their lead to 7 goals at half time and appeared in total control of the match.

However, after controlling the first half and sensing the Cougars’ frustration, the Jaguars’ intensity dropped inviting the Cougars back into the game.

After making 4 positional changes, the Cougars clicked into gear across the court and were led well by WA Leigh Waddington. Their defensive pressure lifted and GK Sarah Klau and GD Amehlia Schmidt were showing much better discipline in the defensive circle.

The Cougars had all the momentum after completely dominating the quarter and led by 8 goals at the final break.

The final quarter was an intense and even battle as the Jaguars put a miserable third quarter behind them. They threatened the lead numerous times but could not ruffle a composed Cougars side that defended their lead well.

Cougars GS Jess Roberts shot extremely well for the match scoring 45 goals and providing a good target for the Cougars front-line, GA Joanne Nixon and C Ashton Hurn combined well with Waddington with usual centre Sammy Nutt absent.

Cougars coach Scott Waddington was noticeably happy after a close loss to the ETSA Contax just three days earlier.

“We were struggling at half time, patches of the game we were in it but Jags were playing extremely well so we had to do something at half time and change it up.

“We got a good result in that third quarter, 20 goals to 5 is quite amazing against such a good side.

“We weren’t flowing through our transitions. We were getting turnovers at the back but just couldn’t score from them. The best way we could fix that was introducing fresh legs and with Sammy Nutt missing, we had to try a few different things and it payed off for us.” He Said.

Jaguars coach Jude Andrewartha was disappointed and though complacency may have affected her side in the third quarter.

“I think we dropped our intensity in the third quarter and probably got a little bit complacent because we felt we had a good lead and our intensity dropped.”

“We worked very hard for the 15 minutes in each quarter of the first half but it was more about thinking we had a commanding lead.”

In the other round 9 matches, Contours Matrics defeated Garville 67-50 and ETSA Contax continued their unbeaten run battling Woods Panthers to a 52-32 victory.

Quarter-by-quarter scores:

Q1:   Jaguars  15 – 10  Cougars

Q2:   Jaguars  30 – 23  Cougars

Q3:   Jaguars  35 – 43  Cougars

Q4:   Jaguars  50 – 57  Cougars

Shooting Percentages:

Cougars   57/75   76%

J. Roberts:   45/54   83.33%

S. Carver:   5/10   50%

J. Nixon:   7/11   63.64%

Jaguars   50/69   72.46%

E. Van Den Munckhof:   13/23   56.52%

J. Hazel:   34/42   80.95%

S. Penn:   3/4   75%

ETSA Contax defeat The Royal Cougars 45-41 in close contest

The ETSA Contax have staved off a strong challenge from The Royal Cougars, winning by four goals in their Round 8 Subway Cup match at Netball SA Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

In a match either side could have come away with the 2 points, it was the Contax who showed more composure in the third quarter getting them home in a tight finish.

While the Cougars failed to convert good defensive pressure into goals during the second and third quarters, they are beginning to show that they are definitely a side to watch out for in 2012.

After a settled start in the first quarter the pace of the match really lifted as both sides began to move the ball around well. However, it was the Cougars who got out to a 5-goal lead mid-way through the first quarter.

Cougars GK Sarah Klau and GD Amehlia Schmidt were relentless with their pressure on the Contax shooters, Chelsea Lemke and Casey Gregory throughout the match. At the first break the Cougars led by 3 goals.

The intensity lifted in the second period with both sides shifting the ball nicely. The lead changed twice during the quarter as both sides battled for the ascendancy but it was the Contax who were more composed to lead at half time by 1 goal.

Inconsistent shooting from the Cougars during the second and third quarters was not helping the side, particularly in the third when the Contax put on their best quarter. 

In such a close game something had to give and it was the Contax who put on a tremendous team effort in the third quarter that enabled them to go out to a 7 goal lead at the final break. 

Adding to the Cougars shooting woes in the third was an injury to in form C Sammy Nutt that caused a shake up to their front line.

Nutt returned for the final quarter to resume her nice battle with Contax C Madeleine Proud as the Cougars looked to stage a come from behind victory. Cougars GS Jess Roberts put on a much better shooting display downing all her 11 attempts but the Contax remained composed to hold off a late Cougars charge to win by 4 goals.

Contax coach Leanne Eichler whilst not being to concerned about being undefeated was pleased to see how her side responded to a strong challenge.

“From today’s point of view it was good to see the girls be challenged and what they do when they are challenged.

“You’re not going to win a game of netball without having a good team performance and when someone else dropped off the boil someone else picked up, so it was a good team effort.” She said.

While disappointed after a close loss Cougars coach Scott Waddington was pleased with his sides’ competitiveness.

“Obviously we would’ve loved to have won the game but to only lose by four and to have a really competitive go at it, we can take a lot of positive out of the game. “

“Overall I think our style of play definitely suits that type of game and it was very fast, very quick and we had our chances.”

The Round 8 Friday night games were both very high scoring affairs. Contours Matrics won against Health and Life Phoenix 67-54 while Spring Gully Newton Jaguars defeated Garville 76-50.

Quarter-by-Quarter Scores:

Q1:   Contax  11 – 14  Cougars

Q2:   Contax  23 – 22  Cougars

Q3:   Contax  35 – 28  Cougars

Q4:   Contax  45 – 41  Cougars

Shooting Percentages:

Contax   45/62   72.58%

C. Lemke:   21/31   67.74%

C. Gregory:   24/31   77.42%

Cougars   41/58   70.69%

J. Roberts:   29/39   74.35%

S. Carver:   10/16   62.5%

J. Nixon:   2/3   66.67%

Spring Gully Newton Jaguars outlast Health and Life Phoenix in round 7 of Subway Cup

The Spring Gully Newton Jaguars have countered a first half Health and Life Phoenix lead by outlasting their opponents with a strong finish in their round 7 Subway Cup clash at Netball SA Stadium on Saturday.

Phoenix had an excellent opportunity early in the match to make things difficult for Jaguars going out to a 6 goal lead, but they did not adjust as Jaguars settled.

The first quarter was fought through the mid-court as Jaguars began to get themselves back into the match showing good composure with the ball against some determined Phoenix defence.

The intensity of the game built towards the end of the quarter as penalties and poor passing crept in for both sides. Phoenix maintaining a 2 goal lead into the first break.

The second quarter was fairly even as each side had scoring runs on the back of good defence. Both sides were finding it hard to move the ball into the attacking third. This was compounded by penalties that gave away possession in the circle. Jaguars started the quarter well going out by 3 goals.

However, Phoenix fought back late, keeping their 2 goal lead intact a half time.

In a good game for the goalkeepers of both sides, the third quarter started with Phoenix GK Dalice Kennedy making a fine shot block only to be called for held ball after looking for support. It was from this point in the match that the Jaguars began to dominate.

Kennedy’s counterpart, Jaguars GK Jenna Mendo, also had a fine match marking strong Phoenix shooter Kylie Jarrett. Along with some composed ball movement and good circle feeding from WA Shannon Penn the Jaguars built a 6 goal lead by the final interval.

Jaguars continued their much improved third quarter play into the last quarter with GS Emily Van Den Munckhoff and GA Jess Hazel performing well in the circle. 

Phoenix tried hard to mount a comeback mid-way through the final quarter but some loose passing halted their momentum and in the end they couldn’t match the Jaguars control with the ball. Jaguars did well to improve as the match went on and completed the match with a 14 goal win.

Jaguars coach Judi Andrewartha said the win came from the sides’ self-belief and trust in each other allowed them to play as a unit.

“I think in the end it was more about self belief and believing in each other to get over the line.

“Once we started to play, whether as a defensive unit or attacking unit, it all came together.

“When we choose not to work as a unit then we fall down, so I think that’s where we took the lead in the second half through players having the belief in each other and trusting each other.” She said

Phoenix coach Lee Anne Cummins was happy with her side’s start but thought their intensity dropped off.

“I think our intensity dropped off, we started the game really well about how we talked about how we needed to start.

“I think then we might have got a bit complacent and our intensity dropped off and our second efforts.” Cummins said.

Friday night’s games saw ETSA Contax defeat Garville 56 – 28 and The Royal Cougars beating Woods Panthers 52 – 29.

Quarter by quarter:

Q1:   Jag 10 – 12 Phx

Q2:   Jag 20 – 22 Phx

Q3:   Jag 35 – 29 Phx

Q4:   Jag 51 – 37 Phx

Shooting Percentages:

Phoenix  37/48  77%

K. Jarrett:  25/32  78.1%

S. Ventrice:  6/8  75%

M. Gibb:  6/8  75%

Jaguars  51/63  80.9%

E. Van Den Munckhoff:  19/24  79.1%

J. Hazel:  32/39  82%