Gisborne Girls' High School has been the central venue for all but Premier Grade netball this season, but that is set to change as the redevelopment of the courts at Victoria Domain nears completion. Photo / Murray Robertson
Gisborne Girls' High School has been the central venue for all but Premier Grade netball this season, but that is set to change as the redevelopment of the courts at Victoria Domain nears completion. Photo / Murray Robertson
Horouta Gold avenged their round 1 result with an 11-goal victory over Gisborne Girls’ High School Senior A in Premier Grade round 2 action on Saturday.
The last time the teams met, the students stormed back from a 14-goal halftime deficit to win by a goal.
This time the storywas very different.
Horouta Gold won 63-52 in the YMCA and led all the way doing it - 14-12 at the first-quarter break, 31-21 at halftime and 45-38 heading into the final stanza.
Both teams started well with speedy passing and players displaying good timing to pop out and collect the ball on the run.
Horouta Gold's O'Shae Rangihaeata had a strong game as her team defeated Gisborne Girls' High Senior A in Premier Grade netball in the YMCA on Saturday. Photo / Paul Rickard
Girls’ High made changes, composed themselves and five minutes into the third quarter had pulled the deficit back to four goals.
But just as it looked like they would continue their momentum, Horouta upped their zone defence and put extra pressure on the ball carrier.
They took a seven-goal buffer into the three-quarter break and while the last quarter went goal for goal at times, a series of three-goal runs saw Horouta extend their advantage.
Throughout the game their attackers - O’Shae Rangihaeata, Alayna Banks and Ashley Leach - effectively delivered the high lob into tall shooter Freya Wilson, who finished off.
Despite the loss, Girls High are sitting in fourth place, two points ahead of Horouta Gold on the table, so the next few games are important as both endeavour to make the top four playoffs.
In the second Premier game in the Y on Saturday, Taste One High School Old Girls soundly defeated Whāngārā Old Girls 65-45.
The first half of the game was competitive as the teams went goal for goal. HSOG were only a goal in front (13-12) in the first quarter, but extended that to 29-22 at halftime.
They came out focused in the third quarter with all players working together throughout the court.
Tight defence caused Whāngārā problems, forcing them to play the ball back and around before they could deliver it to their shooters.
That pressure created mistakes and turnovers, which were quickly pounced on by HSOG - their attackers sending slick passes into their shooters.
Halfway through the third quarter, HSOG were ahead by 14 goals and they steadily added to that to complete a 20-goal win.
It put them top of the table on 24 points, with Turanga FM YMP second on 22 and defending champions Claydens Waikohu third on 20.
That is highly likely to change with YMP and Waikohu in action on Wednesday in the YMCA.
Waikohu play bottom-of-the-table Old Girls Whāngārā at 6pm and YMP follow against Whāngārā Old Girls at 7.30pm.
Waikohu powered to a 38-goal win when they met OG Whāngārā in round 1.
The champs also go into Wednesday having suffered their first loss of the season (43-36 to Girls’ High), so will be determined not to drop any more points.
A Reserve: Allwood Enterprises HSOG 35 Kapiana A 16, Gisborne Girls’ High Junior A 43 GGHS Sen B 23, Tatapouri Sportsfit (2) 25 Enterprise Motors OBM 14.
1st Grade: Tūranga Panthers Gold 25 Ūawa Ngarangikahiwa 21, Waikohu Social 26 Steve Craill Builder Ngatapa 18.
2nd Grade: Tūranga Pirates Maia 25 Autotech HSOG 2, Tatapouri Sportsfit Social 31 Tūranga Panthers Green 18, OBM OG 37 GGHS Tuakana 10.
