Victorious Lions stalk SWNFL finals berth

After holding off South Bunbury by seven points on home turf, Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault find themselves within reach of a finals berth. The Lions defeated the Tigers 56-49 at the Leschenault Leisure Centre in round 11 of the South West Netball Football League competition on Sunday, with both teams looking to make moves on the ladder. Both were quick to put the pressure on each other early on in what was an even start to the match. However, a strong defensive effort by HBL’s Kate Baker and Lauren Vincent paid dividends as the Lions capitalised to pull away to lead 18-12 at quarter-time. Not willing to give up easily, South Bunbury attempted to make an early comeback with goals from Chloe Wallace and Teagan Bullman early in the second term. However, the Tigers seemed shaken when Hayley Troode took a tumble, spraining her ankle. As the Lions looked to extend their lead, it seemed South Bunbury started to gain confidence in defence, with Vaezarn Bishop blocking a number of shots to give the Tigers the chance to catch up. At half-time, the Lions held on to lead 29-21. The Tigers’ comeback effort continued into the third quarter as their defence seemed to get stronger, rattling the Lions’ cage. However, the Lions managed to hold strong, with accurate shots by Matilda Tinker maintaining the lead 42-36 at three-quarter time. Despite South Bunbury’s best efforts at a late comeback, the Lions held strong to take the victory. The win comes off the back of South Bunbury falling short to the ever-dominant Busselton 74-40 at Geographe Leisure Centre on Saturday. Elsewhere, Blackwood held off Bunbury 49-47 in a thriller in Bridgetown, and Eaton dominated Carey Park 69-37.