Impressive Lightning slay Celtic Dragons in Cardiff
CELTIC DRAGONS 38 LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING 66 ON MONDAY night, Lightning Netball turned up the heat on Celtic Dragons with an emphatic 66-38 victory.
Making the long trip south to the Welsh capital, the first of two lengthy away trips in the space of five days, Lightning set their stall out from the off with a high tempo start, which saw them quickly etch out a 6-2 lead.
One of the stars of the show on the night was Lightning wing attack Hannah Joseph, her long passing and general link up play with her attacking counterparts, Ella Clark and Peace Proscovia, a joy to behold. In fact it was the connection between that trio that helped Lightning forge a healthy early advantage.
Towards the end of the opening quarter Dragons fought back, but when the buzzer sounded Lightning could be pleased with a 16-7 lead having played some good netball, albeit with a few misplaced passes.
The second quarter saw Ugandan superstar Peace Proscovia really start to fire on all cylinders, scoring time after time from both under the posts and closer to the edge of the circle, as Lighting really poured it on to close 35-14 ahead at half time.
The Dragons started the third period with fires in their bellies but Lightning weren’t intent on resting on their laurels, continuing to extend their lead thanks to high speed netball throughout the court.
Again though, a large proportion of Lightning’s points came from the 11 interceptions they made during the game, which were often followed by free-flowing, counter-attacking netball. Shamera Sterling in particular was exceptional, carrying on where she left off at the Commonwealth Games last month. Unrelenting, Lightning closed out the third quarter 52-23 to all but secure victory.
In the final quarter, Dragons fought hard until the death, much to the appreciation of their home crowd, scoring the final point as Lightning ran out 66-38 winners.
Lightning are now up to second in the Vitality Netball Superleague with 27 points, as they ramp up their challenge for a top four place.