Superleague home win for Lightning
LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING 52 SEVERN STARS 44 OVER 700 dedicated netball fans were treated to a fierce encounter at Loughborough University on Saturday night which saw Lightning claim their first victory of the year over Severn Stars.
The match started on even terms as both sides converted their centre passes to keep the score line ticking over. It was Lightning that took the initial lead after five minutes of well fought play but Stars were not ones to let this lead go. Increasing the speed and physicality the scores soon became level once again despite the constant turnovers from Tuaine and Oyesola and Lightning finished the quarter trailing 13-12.
With nothing to lose and much to gain, both teams came out fighting in the second quarter. Sharpening their passes and continuing to push on, Lightning took hold of the score board once more and with Coleman and Clark’s smooth shots they soon had a three-point lead half time lead, 25-22.
The second half saw Lightning work hard to keep possession through the midcourt to deliver the ball safely into the shooting circle. Keenan’s dominance against Stars 6ft 5 shooter began to pay off with multiple turnovers in hand to give Lightning the edge needed and a 38-32 advantage.
Changes in the final quarter saw Jess Shaw come on at centre with skipper Nat Panagarry moving into the wing defence position and Lightning a fresh pair of legs to help them secure the win.
With everything to play for the evenings’ intensity hit a new high with both teams fighting tooth and nail to claim every ball and convert into crucial points as Lightning claimed a 52-44 victory.
Head Coach Sara Bayman credited the home crowd as Lightning’s key to success.
“I think we did a lot of work in the week about what went wrong against Wasps and I think the girls have really learnt from that loss and stepped it up this week. I think Nat Panagarry and Hannah Joseph had a great game with Jess Shaw making a big impact coming into that mix too and so I think we were able to control the centre court well which made a huge difference.
“The atmosphere was great tonight and I think the big turnout and a close match kept the night alive and helped us push on to the end.”