Penola 59 d Keith 43
Penola claimed a crucial two points in the race for finals with a dominant win over the Keith Crows in Round 12 of Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara netball.
For the second game in a row, the Eagles boasted a full-strength side and once again, reaped the benefits.
Penola stormed out of the blocks to apply early scoreboard pressure as sharpshooter, April Possingham, started the game in fine form.
The Eagles went into the first break with a five goal lead and continued to impress despite the pressure from the Crows.
Keith’s goal attack, Erika Lamont, put in a solid performance in the first half as she accurately shot 21 goals from 23 attempts.
The second quarter remained a tussle as the Crows put the Eagles under pressure and forced turnovers to keep the margin close.
Keith’s centre, Whitney Smith, found some space down the court and got her hands on intercepts as the Crows went into halftime with a six-goal deficit and the game still in the balance.
However, despite an impressive second quarter from the away side, they were no match for the Eagles in the third quarter as the home team extended their lead to 13 goals.
This was spurred on from impressive work on the defensive end, as Penola got its hands on a number of rebounds and deflected passes away from their targets.
The Crows were restricted to just six goals in the quarter and there was no way back for the visitors.
Victoria Henderson put in a strong performance as she drove to the circle edge, while Siobhan Adams was dominant through the middle and Ash Earl found space in the circle as she drew defenders and fed the ball well to Possingham.
Penola continued to impress in the final quarter with impressive work in transition and smart movement off the ball.
Possingham was on fire in the final quarter as she shot with 100 per cent accuracy to end the game with 54 goals from 59 attempts.
Maddy Teakle and Brooke Klemm continued to develop as a defensive combination and restricted the best offensive side in the league to just 43 goals for the game.
Tess Porter was brought on midway through the final quarter and put in a solid performance as she applied pressure to the Crows on the way to a key victory for Penola.
Klemm’s work in defence was rewarded as she was named best on court, while Possingham was named second-best.
The Eagles are now just one win outside the top four with six wins from 11 games this season.
