Pumpettes and Golfie Mystics have booked themselves berths in their Cobar Netball Association A and B Grade grand finals after both recorded convincing wins in the finals on Saturday.
In A Grade, Pumpettes had lifted their intensity for Saturday’s final against ENDivas to finish with a comprehensive 49-32 win.
They played a much better game than they had the week before in the semis against JKM Dynamic Fitness and, if they can replicate their good performance again this Saturday in the grand final, they will be a good match for JKM.
Pumpettes had the upper hand from the get-go on Saturday with their first point scored on a turnover from the ENDivas’ centre pass.
They were four goals up and it was four minutes into the game before ENDivas managed to sink their first goal.
Emma Barton (Goal Shooter) and Madasan Taylor (Goal Attack) were working well in the circle for Pumpettes.
That was until Taylor rolled her ankle eight minutes into play and was carried from the court for medical attention.
Taylor’s ankle injury prevented her from returning and, while the Pumpettes’ momentum was momentarily shaken, the team soon got itself back on track with Ellie Russell slotting easily into Taylor’s Goal Attack position for the rest of the match.
With their strong defence at the other end of the court, in particular Rachel Gentles, who is tall and has a very long reach, the Pumpettes controlled the court from one end to the other for most of the match.
They were up by six goals at the first break and 13 points was the margin at half time.
ENDivas had very few answers for the Pumpettes’ onslaught and by the third quarter the margin had blown out to 20 points the difference.
The injury toll was also rising for ENDivas with Nikki Davey leaving the court on two occasions to go to the blood bin after two falls.
Some outstanding shooting from Corinne McLeod in the final quarter was a shining light in ENDivas’ game, however it had come too late to make any real impact on the final outcome, with Pumpettes winning by a 17 goals margin. The game was played in good spirits and great sportsmanship, but was very physical with a number of injuries being recorded by both teams in the match.
The B Grade final finished as an upset win for the lower placed Golfie Mystics side who outplayed the Sharpe Shooters on Saturday to easily win their final 42-34.
While both sides found it difficult to convert possession into points in the first quarter, Mystics’ shooters Mandy Hewlett and Molly Negfeldt however soon found their groove to ensure their side had a good 11-5 lead at the first break.
The team was flush with reserves on the bench and then Jacey Bruce and Lauren Williams took over the shooting to help keep the score ticking along.
Mystics also had a change up in their defence after they lost Bek Harris to injury with Casey Piggott stepping into the defender’s role. She worked exceptionally well with Ally Pearson to keep the Sharpe Shooters on the fringes of the circle to shoot.
Mystics were up 24-18 at half time before the Sharpe Shooters rallied in the third quarter.
Strong centre court play by Katrina Francisco and improved shooting from Carli Schulz and Brittany Edwards helped to close the gap to just two points with the scoreboard showing 32-30 going into the final quarter.
Hewlett and Negfedt were reunited in the goal circle for Mystics in the final quarter and, with Mel Singh directing play in the centre court, Mystics took back control of the game.
They outpointed Sharpe Shooters 10-4 in the final quarter to win the match 42-34.
Golfie Mystics will be hoping their winning streak continues into this week’s grand final game when they meet Brushstop.
