MILLICENT 53 d SOUTH GAMBIER 45
IT was not a win but South Gambier could take heart from its Round 12 clash with Millicent, going down to the Saints by eight goals in a tight contest.
The match looked set to follow a familiar script in the opening quarter as the slick Saints found Tabatha Sanderson in space often with the tall shooter netting 15 from 18 for the term.
As such Millicent worked tis way to a five-goal lead at the first break.
Accuracy from South shooters Gracie Dalton and Alyssa Duncan kept the young Demons in touch, combining for 11 goals from 13 attempts but the home side looked in control and set for a comfortable win.
Missing defender Sophie Wight, South gave Mykaela Thiele the chance to take on Sanderson.
Thanks to some pressure on the feed from Tully McShane and Megan Reid, Thiele worked her way into the contest, restricting the Millicent goaler to nine goals in the second quarter as South started to ramp up the defensive pressure across the court.
At half time the lead was seven and in the second half it was all about the defensive end of the court as scoring opportunities were harder to come by.
South converted a perfect 11 from 11 and won the quarter by one goal, courtesy of some strong rebounding and turnover work from Thiele and Ellie Bouchier.
At the last break things were poised for an exciting final quarter.
Unlike the previous two rounds, where South had faded in disappointing fashion to, the young Demons stayed in the hunt.
While they could not make inroads into the deficit, they were able to keep the Saints on their toes until the final whistle.
Demi Verbena was a huge factor in the Millicent victory with her perfect ball placement, leadership in the attacking third and accurate finishing.
Portia McRae and Lauren VanEeden also worked hard to win the ball back whenever the Demons threatened and as always, the Saints mid court were reliable with ball in hand.
Bouchier was again influential with her ability to create turnover ball while at the other end, Duncan continued her 2023 consistency as she took charge of the offensive end of the court for South.
McShane was also influential in providing good pressure on the incoming ball and denying the Millicent feeders easy access to the circle’s edge.
