JEN CORNWALL
SANDY Creek remains on top of the Gawler & District A-grade netball ladder after it thumped Lutheran 63-15 on Saturday.
Getting out to an early lead in the first quarter, Sandy Creek showed it was in fine form in the lead up to finals with the return of Jenny Dyson from injury.
The Cockatoos’ centre court showed their strength with Paula White in wing defence reading many plays in the Lutheran attacking third, allowing her side to score from the turnovers.
Lutheran failed to match the momentum of the strong Cockatoos side, however its effort was persistent.
Lutheran wing attack Belinda Altus, paired with Keely Sinclair and Sharla O’Neill in the centre court, were instrumental in any chance their side had at getting the ball to its shooters.
However, the Cockies’ defence was relentless as the score-line blew out of reach.
The Cockatoos walked away with a comfortable victory, keeping their undefeated streak in the G&DNA intact.
Meanwhile, Virginia had to do it the hard way, withstanding multiple surges late in the contest to secure a win against Xavier Saints and cement its spot in the top four.
In what could have been a preview of a semi-final match, Xavier Saints proved it was ready to step up to the challenge Virginia presented, with both sides going goal for goal in the first quarter.
Virginia returned to the court in the third stanza energised and ready to play.
Shooter Melissa Erikson was let loose in goal attack and was unstoppable, with her shooting helping her side to a 17-goal lead at three quarter-time.
A string of unfortunate calls and silly mistakes held the Xavier side back in the final quarter, and Virginia ran away with a 65-37 win.
In the remaining A-grade game, St George’s secured a victory over Gumnuts.
St George’s looked the fresher and livelier of the two teams, and jumped to an early 16-8 lead.
With Gumnuts missing several regular players, the flow just wasn’t there and it struggled to keep in the game.
However, it kept the pressure on defensively through goalkeeper Georgia Furst, as she picked off several quick passes into the St George’s goal circle.
Despite that, St George’s was far too good, running out a 54-25 win.