Phys Ed A remains unbeaten for 2018 after a dominant semifinal against the Phys Ed B team, winning 71-31.
Phys Ed A led from the first whistle, getting out to a 6-0 lead before Phys Ed B got on the scoreboard in the fifth minute. The As kept the momentum throughout the rest of the first quarter going into the first break up 20-7.
The A team was all class for the full 60 minutes with some beautiful vision through court on attack, and great pressure, pushing the Bs wide on defence. The defensive unit of Laura Overton, Abbi Souchon and Mariah Nelson picked up a number of tips and intercepts throughout the match which the shooters Sarah Boomer, goal shoot, Georgia Heffernan, goal attack in the first half, and Ella McCall, goal attack in the second half, converted effortlessly to keep building their lead.
The midcourt for the A team was solid all game, picking up ball on defence as well as classy feeds into the circle.
The second semifinal between the Southern Magpies and South Pacific Titans A was a very different match, taking 56 minutes of game time to separate the two sides, Southern coming out victorious 57-52.
The first quarter went effectively goal-for-goal until Southern wing defence Lauren Pickett snatched a great intercept on the circle edge to give Southern a small advantage. Southern’s defensive pressure created a held ball with two minutes to go in the first quarter which gave it a three-goal buffer at the first break, 15-12.
In the second period, Southern put its foot down with some lovely feeds into the circle from Penny Mouat into goal shoot Taneisha Fifita. Fifita showed great strength on her holds and also the ability to drag down the high balls. Southern’s composure throughout the second stanza saw it go into the halftime break up 31-24.
It was a different story in the third quarter, though, as South Pacific really lifted its game. Some great shooter-to-shooter ball between goal shoot Kelly Laurence and goal attack Nadia Lyders kept the Southern defensive end busy while the South Pacific midcourt really put the pressure on to create some fantastic turnovers. The intensity South Pacific showed in the third quarter dragged the score back to a margin of four, going to the final break down 42-38.
South Pacific kept building on its third-quarter performance, its defence causing errors in the Southern attacking end. Showing ability to treasure turnover ball and patience to feed shooter Laurence, South Pacific brought the score to 48-all with six and a-half minutes remaining. An offensive contact on South Pacific’s centre pass let Southern off the hook, and the ability to score quickly with some nice feeds from wing attack Sophie Erwood into Fifita, who shot at 97%, gave it a small buffer.
A beautiful intercept from goal keep Tarryn Dickson really sealed the deal for Southern with a minute to go. Southern will meet Phys Ed A in the final this coming Saturday.
In other games, Markhams College A dispatched St Hilda’s Senior A 55-48 while Phys Ed Blue beat University Albion A in a close match, 51-49.
- Bridget Thayer
