Pigeons’ strong day on court
A Grade
North Albury 36 def by Yarrawonga 56.
The second round of the 2023 season saw Yarrawonga take on North Albury at the Hopper's home court.
In muggy conditions, North Albury forced a fast-paced and physical game out the Pigeons. Yarrawonga started each quarter tentatively but were able to extend their lead at each break, through a surge in the last five minutes of each quarter.
Plenty of scoring opportunities were offered to the Pigeons attack through regular intercepts by dependable circle defenders Han Symes and Kylie Leslie.
The midcourt was once again seamless in transition, with multiple changes each quarter.
The combination of Laura Davis, Laura Ryan, Tilly Kennedy and new recruit Em Laracy worked in harmony to shut down a threatening Hopper's midcourt lead by Em Browne.
The North Albury defenders were also kept on their toes through changing combinations in the Pigeons shooting circle between Sarah Moore, Maddy Allan and Laura Davis.
In the end Yarrawonga was able to come away with the win 56-36, a score that doesn't accurately reflect the intensity of the game.
The Pigeons will take on the Wangaratta Magpies in a Grand Final rematch next week.
B Grade
North Albury 43 def by Yarrawonga 44.
The B Grade girls had a hard-fought win, one which they will learn a lot from and should be proud of. They trailed North Albury for the majority of the game but managed to come away with a great win by one goal.
Annalise Grinter and Amy Barnes worked tirelessly in defence against some strong goalers. They were able to get important turnovers throughout the match, which gave the girls lots of opportunities to score.
Chloe Wheaton and Georgie Hemphill played an impressive defensive game in WD and C, and also provided great leads down the court.
Sharni Demasi and Emily McNamara were smart and steady with their passes in the attack end and never gave up.
Maddie Kennedy provided quick passing and great driving in the goal ring, with Eliana Martin being a strong target in GS.
Special mention must go to Kaleisha Pell, who came up from the Under 17s. Kaleisha came on at half time and played an excellent game.
A fantastic team effort!
C Grade
North Albury 35 def by Yarrawonga 41.
The Yarrawonga C Grade girls were strong down in defence holding North Albury to just 25.
The mid courters moved the ball well into the shooters who shot a total of 41 goals for the game. This week's players player award went to Helena West, her shooting and movement in the ring was impressive the entire game.
Elle Jade Christian won the coaches award for doing extremely well in defence constantly getting hands to the ball.
Overall North Albury put up a good fight but the Yarrawonga girls were too strong in the end.
Under 17s
North Albury 53 def Yarrawonga 36.
The Yarrawonga under 17 girls were excited for the challenge that lay ahead in North Albury. A tall North side across the court was always going to be a challenge for the short yet fast Yarra girls.
A blasting first quarter with incredible turnovers from Morgan and Kalesha and some incredible shots for new recruit Stephanie Sutcliff kept the girls even at quarter time.
A hard running second quarter kept the girls within two goals at half time with great drive out of defence from Savannah Lewis and great drive in the centre from Mia Kennedy and Brooke Noonan.
The second half was hard fight for the girls with a more experienced North Albury side running away on the scoreboard despite the great fight put up by the Yarrawonga midcourt in Mia Wheaton, Mylah Kennedy and Anabell Heart.
Along with incredible strength in attack from Tilly Jaques and Mikya Frauenfelder.
A lot to take away from this game for the Yarrawonga girls. A big week at training will put them in good stead for a tough game against Wangaratta this week.
Under 15s
North Albury 43 def Yarrawonga 14.
The young Pigeons tried their hardest all day but came up against a much stronger team in the North Albury Hoppers.
The girls displayed great passages of play throughout the game and took all their opportunities when given the chance in goals through Leni, Ruby and Ella.
The girls also had excellent hands over pressure all over the court with Milla, Charlotte and Chelsea turning the ball over plenty of times to give the team the chance to go into attack.
Kendall was thrown from the midcourt to defence to work tirelessly with Liv and Caitlyn trying to limit the supply to the Hoppers goalers.
The whole team continues to grow each week and the coaches can't wait to see how they build on their skills and development as the youngest Pigeons.
Awards: Players' player – Kendall Connell and Coaches award – Ruby O'Kane.