15 AND UNDER A – MILLICENT 34 d NORTH GAMBIER 33
IN 2022, the 15 and Under A grand final was forced into overtime and at the weekend it almost was again.
The Saints entered the clash having won the second semi final by 21 but the Tigers came better prepared on the weekend and had the better of the opening half.
Mischa Human was a strong target in that opening half for the Tigers and she received great supply from Georgia Nulty and Maggie Collins, who worked the angles to find their star shooter in space.
Elodie Adam was also a key with her strong front cuts and the North shooting combination netted 10 from 12 to ensure the Tigers dominance was translated to the scoreboard.
Human dominated the second quarter with her 11 straight conversions but fortunately Kalani Dunn had worked her way into the contest for the Saints to ensure they stayed in touch.
At the main break it was the Tigers by five.
Dunn was also the dominant force in the third as Millicent started to bridge the gap on the scoreboard.
Her connection with the hard-working Bell Coghlan had her net 11 from 14 and those opportunities came through an improved defensive effort from Emily Denton and Matti Fauchelle, who started to create some turnover ball.
To describe the final quarter as tense would be an understatement and the six-four scoreline shows just how many turnovers there were as both teams looked to secure a break.
In the end, a timely deflection from Fauchelle which was collected by Coghlan, saw the Saints maintain possession and a one-goal lead.
They did not allow the Tigers a chance to score from their centre pass and secured the nail-biting one-goal victory.
Human and goal defender Ruby Mitchell were best for the Tigers, while Coghlan secured best-on-court honours and was well supported by dynamic wing attack Piper Paul and goal attack Mylee Lynch.
