University Albion A were never going to be denied. But College A had to hold off a willing fight from Physed A to book their spot in the Dunedin premier club netball final. They beat Physed 59-44 and will meet defending champions Uni Albion in the final on Saturday. College were second seeds heading into the weekend’s semifinals and were locked 25-25 with Physed at halftime. Physed scored the opening two goals of the third quarter before College set themselves up with a five-goal unanswered run. Talei Pelasio — who had a high volume, slotting 33 from 37 attempts at 89% — started to control the front space. Experienced midcourters Zoey Flockton and Kiana Pelasio offered strong ball, including a silky long bounce pass from Pelasio into her younger sister. Ella Mackenzie, who shot 26 from 31 at 84%, played a strong supporting role and weaved through the top of the circle. College held a four-goal lead for much of the quarter and extended to lead 41-34 at the break. Lucy Morrison was hard to contain along the baseline for Physed. Millie Hassell had nice punch on to the circle edge but the gap was too big and College secured the win. Uni Albion pumped the Southern Magpies 78-33 in their semifinal. They were brutal from the opening minute, going on a 13-1 run. Southern fought back through the latter parts of the quarter, but the damage was done to give Uni Albion a 21-6 lead at the break. Uni Albion were slick across the court and Neve Graamans did a power of work on attack. She provided depth on her drive to the pocket, hitting the circle edge and providing a bulk of the feeds to her shooters. Ella Southby and Neve Beattie split the circle with ease, Southby mixed up her timing as she popped through the top and glided along the base to set up Beattie at the back. The flattering scoreline gave Uni Albion the chance to roll on fresh legs and give their combinations one last test before the final. Uni Albion held a 42-14 lead at halftime. Harriet Cuttance worked hard for Southern, slotting goals and providing a long feed. Southern sat back in an effective defensive zone in the third quarter, as Uni Albion’s changes took longer to find their avenue to post. Uni Albion led 59-25 at the break and continued from there.
