Otane queens of court after Super 8 final nailbiter
Otane’s championship quality came through when it counted as they retained the Hawke’s Bay Super 8 netball title with a 51-50 win over All In in Saturday’s final.
The reigning champions were playing in their 18th straight title decider and they leant on that experience to overtake All In in the last few minutes.
Each club were allowed to bring 20 supporters to the match under new level 2 conditions, which made for a rowdy atmosphere at Pettigrew Green Arena.
All In scored twice off Otane centre passes early to take a 17-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Their flowing play, with snappy touch passes, drew a marked contrast with Otane’s tendency to play more directly with long passes into the circle. Both styles proved effective, though, as Otane cut the deficit to two goals at half-time and kept in touch through the third quarter.
They had a hot start to the fourth period and tied the game a minute in, shortly before taking their first lead of the match.
The lead bounced back and forth a couple more times, with Otane seizing a 49-48 advantage with about four minutes remaining.
They created a crucial two-goal buffer in the final minute and held on tight for the victory.
Coach Annemarie Kupa said her side’s vast experience in championship-deciding moments certainly helped. “It could have gone either way, though, to be honest, it was probably the hardest game we’ve played in the whole 18 years we’ve had finals,” she said.
“Both teams played really well, with a lot of flair and execution, and it just shows Hawke’s Bay netball has some awesome up-and-coming players.”
Earlier on Saturday afternoon, Hastings High School Old Girls beat Central 44-42 to take third place in another entertaining match. Central earned a three-goal lead at the end of the first quarter, but Hastings turned that around to lead 21-18 at the half-time break.
They extended the lead to six goals by the end of the third term but a strong finish from Central had them back within three goals with five minutes to go.