A GRADE – Penola 84 d Kybybolite 32
PENOLA A Grade netballers enjoyed a big win over Kybybolite in round eight of Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara netball on Saturday.
The victory was set up from the first whistle, where the Eagles came out hard and never let up.
Consistency right around the court saw many turnovers, with Penola’s defenders allowing the mid court to direct the ball with speed and precision into the goalies to win the quarter 22-7.
The second and third quarters saw the Eagles continue to push hard and stretch the lead further.
By the final change the game was all-but over, with Kyby making changes, which resulted in its best quarter, with 3 goals scored.
However, Penola responded with 27, for a big 52-goal win.
Some strong drives and feeds from Sally Skeer saw her named best for Penola, along with Sarah Lock.
Kyby’s best were Brittany Bugg and Kelsey Heinrich.
A RESERVE – Penola 60 d Kybybolite 32
PENOLA entered the A Reserve match against Kybybolite with a different goalie line-up in the absence of Karly Honner.
Teegan Galpin stepped up to the plate in goal shooter and performed as expected.
Ashley Earl was accurate in the circle, shooting at 87pc, along with Galpin, who managed an 80pc return.
The centre centre court and defenders applied their normal pressure and quickly turned a strong first quarter lead into a 28-goal win.
Chloe Long was named best for her work in goal keeper, while the versatile Lauren Foster was also given the nod.
B GRADE – Penola 50 d Kybybolite 28
PENOLA’S B Grade netballers continued the trend of big senior victories with a 22-goal win over Kybybolite.
A consistent, focused game saw a strong performance around the court, with all players being showing versatility, with changes throughout the game not interrupting its flow.
Hannah Klemm and Karmel Finch combined well through the centre to provide strong drive out of defence and open up space in attack.
Penola’s defence rebounded strongly and took numerous intercepts, which the goalies converted.
The goalies were both accurate and held their space well to dominate the goal circle.
Klemm and Finch were named best for the Eagles.
C GRADE – Kybybolite 41 d Penola 35
A CLOSE contest was played out at the C Grade level, but Penola succumbed to a determined Kybybolite outfit in the end by just six goals.
Both teams came out firing and hungry for a win, with scores tied at the first two breaks.
Sarah Pitt and Jess McIntyre applied strong pressure and got their hands on every rebound to move the ball quickly down the court to find goalies Jess Lucas and Laura Price, who moved well around the circle.
Coming into the last quarter, Penola was up by one goal and knew the job was far from over.
Kyby responded with quick goals early in the final term and despite the Eagles best efforts, they could not close the margin and went down in a tight tussle.
Best players went to Lucas and Pitt.
17 AND UNDER – Kybybolite 52 d Penola 17
THE 17 and Under girls faced a tough Kybybolite outfit, which compounded with the absence of captain Ruby Moore through injury.
Kyby showed its skill early and forced the Eagles to play catch-up netball.
The first quarter saw Kyby with the first eight goals to set the scene and from here the Eagles had to dig deep and fight hard to change the tone of the game.
Jess Snell led the charge, working hard through the mid court to drive the ball into the goal circle.
The Penola girls were set a challenge at half time to be accountable and work hard regardless of the score.
That saw a closer third quarter, as Abbie Gartner worked hard with Anna Marcus to get countless turn overs and remain in the contest.
However, a big lead from Kyby was always going to be tough to overcome, as the Eagles had to settle for a loss.
Gartner and Jess Snell were named best for Penola.
16 AND UNDER – Kybybolite 47 d Penola 33
PENOLA suffered a hard-fought defeat at thehands of Kybybolite in the 16 and Under game, despite a strong start in the opening term.
The second quarter saw the Eagles create a six-goal turn around, in an impressive display of netball.
Kyby came out firing in the last half and Penola kept playing a controlled and skilled game, but in the end it was not enough to claim the win.
Ella Hutchesson was named best for her work in defence and Skye Peterson earned second best with her improved control and work rate.
15 AND UNDER – Kybybolite 36 d Penola 21
A TIGHT first half of netball was not reflected in the final score for Penola’s 15 and Under girls.
The Eagles were down by just four goals at the end of the firsthalf, with strong defensive pressure keeping them in the game.
However, the second half saw Kyby run away with the game on the back of some impressive shooting.
Penola dug deep in the last quarter but could not close the margin.
Amelia Henry was voted best for the Eagles for her strong defence and rebounding, while Ava Copping was next best after a hard-running game in centre.
13A – Penola 29 d Kybybolite 9
PENOLA 13As enjoyed a big victory over Kybybolite after a solid start in the opening term.
Strong attacking leads, interceptions and pressure all over the court set the game up.
Stella O’Brien and Heidi Berkin created an impenetrable combination in defence to keep Kyby out of scoring range.
The young Eagles read the ball well around the court, backed each other up and collected loose balls, to extend their lead at each break.
Even changes at half time did not sway their focus, as they finished the game in style.
O’Brien and Berkin were named best players.
13B
PENOLA’S 13B girls went down to Kybybolite, but not without plenty of effort.
The girls were given a challenge and were thrown into positions which were different to the usual line-up.
They responded well and worked hard throughout the game.
Zara and Lilly worked well in the goal circle, quickly passing to each other and working hard to get front position.
Lucy and Macey ran hard in centre all game, finding Nellie and Charlize on the wings who lead strongly.
Mia and Ivy had a solid game in defence, kept their eyes on the ball and were able to pick off a few passes.
The girls finished their game well and showed that their netball knowledge and skills are expanding to all ends of the court.
Best players were Ivy Wurst and Zara Kellet.
