Lakes Entrance maintained its spot on top of the East Gippsland under 17 netball ladder with a hard-fought victory over a persistent Stratford at Boyd Reserve.
In a tough and competitive contest the Seagulls prevailed 27-18, with the girls adopting a simple mantra: “focus on winning the ball and not getting caught up in the
messy plays”.
It was another mature performance from the girls with Lucy Carroll, Tulli McLeod and Bonnie Rotheram all standouts for Lakes.
The Seagulls’ only other victory for the day was in the under 13s where Lakes Entrance moved from fourth to third on the ladder, leapfrogging their opposition off the back of a well-earned 20-17 win.
A positive start saw Lakes Entrance in the right frame of mind for victory, the defence holding strong all match, creating some much-needed turnovers which were pivotal in a great victory.
Grace Dunbar, Lacie Lee and Sadie Williams leading
the way for the Seagulls.
In “A” grade Lakes Entrance put up a solid performance but was left wanting against the talented Swans who were victorious 63-38.
The Seagulls coaching staff was delighted with the defensive pressure, though they were disappointed at times with the lack of penetration at the other crucial times.
In a positive the last quarter was the Seagulls’ best with Emma Yates, Tayla Mills and Matilda Richardson named in the best.
The Lakes Entrance girls worked hard in “B” grade, but found Stratford much too good as the Swans ran out 52-16 winners.
The defensive pressure was solid for most of the contest but certainly more effective in the second half, which allowed the Seagulls more opportunities to score.
Makayla Grabham, Bonnie Rotheram and Pariss McKendry all gave a good account of themselves for Lakes Entrance.
It was a similar scenario in “C” grade with the Swans getting the jump and the Seagulls struggling to stay in touch. They steadied and improved as the match progressed, but were outclassed 50-20.
Verity Jenkins, Matilda Richardson and Mikaela Ashworth performed well.
Lakes faced some significant challenges in “D” grade as the Swans capitalised on early errors and a slow start.
The Seagulls went down 49-14, delighted to have beaten their score from the two sides’ first encounter but disappointed to have been kept scoreless in the third quarter.
Harriet Copeland, Ginger Svetlik and Haylee McKinnon were named in the best for
the Seagulls.
Some outstanding shooting by Stratford saw the under 15 match quickly out of Lakes Entrance’s reach.
The Seagulls rallied hard in the middle two quarters but were no match for strong opposition, going down 48-13.
Sadie Stevens, Lily Jakins and Izzy McAuliffe-Ashworth were the better players for
the Seagulls.
Another tough assignment awaits the Seagulls this week, heading to Bairnsdale for a date with the powerful Tigers at Bullumwaal Road.
