The finals hopes of Sunbury Lions got a boost when they put more space between themselves and seventh-placed Ballarat in the Ballarat Netball League.
The win against Ballarat means the fourth-placed Lions are two games clear inside the top six, and it keeps them in touch with the top three.
The 55-52 win didn’t come easily, the Swans pushing them all the way.
Karen Meredith took the reins as Lions’ coach for the first time on Saturday.
Meredith was appointed coach in the preseason but, due to school netball coaching commitments, she was always going to come on board later in the season.
Meredith said it was unusual to start coaching a side so late in the piece. She got her first look at the group two weeks ago, as a spectator.
“It’s different … most teams you’re involved with preseason and [you] get to know the girls, and that sort of thing,” she said.
“I’ve been lucky that I’ve coached some of them before in different teams, and that makes it a little easier.”
Meredith said a third-quarter lapse meant the result was closer than they would have liked.
“It was a pressure game for the girls,” she said. “There was that lapse when we faded out towards the end of the third term. We probably could have finished off our shooting a bit better,” Meredith said. “It may not have been such a close margin.”
The experienced trio of Prue Stanley, Katelyn Begeley and Beck Anstey stepped it up in the last quarter to ensure the Lions got their win.
Anstey shut down the Swans’ goal shooter in that last term.
“I said to the girls, when the opposition has the dominant player it might take you three quarters to get on top of her,” the coach said.
“The tall goaler only got three goals in the last quarter and we’d shut her down by the end of the game.
“I think moving Katelyn into wing defence helped, too.
“Prue and Katelyn have played a lot together. “They provided a nice wall, [which] slowed them down the court.”
The first-time goaling combination of Amy Starzer and Lauren Woodgate shared the prizes, Woodgate scoring 28 goals and Starzer 27.
Meredith says she won’t be changing too much now that she’s back coaching.
“I’ll just fine-tune things,” she said. “The girls are really experienced. They know when they’re doing things wrong; you don’t have to tell them.
“I’ll look at a couple of tactics they may not think of while they’re on court.”
