Depth Defeats Dragons

Saturday 2nd February 2008
Won 42 - 24

The Mavericks Youth side couldn’t have started any better they got the first turnover and the first goal. With great pressure all the way down the court from the Mavericks Youth team, Celtic dragons struggled to link their play together, taking them 5 minutes to score. Good feeds from the centre court and consistent shooting meant Mavericks Youth lead by 7 goals to 2 nearing the end of the first quarter. Time was called by Celtic Dragons allowing us to regroup. As a result of this we finished the quarter well. Leading 9 goals to 5.

In the second quarter we saw some changes, Zoe Murdoch came on as GA, Sophia Candappa moved to WA and Natalie Brookes came on as Centre. As the second quarter got underway it took the teams a while to adjust to the changes made this resulted in some unforced errors from both teams. However Mavericks Youth soon pulled it together and with some turnovers in defence and good timing from attack the gap began to widen. Shooters at either end kept their composure and at the end of the quarter Mavericks Youth were in the lead with 19 goals to Celtic Dragons 13.

The third quarter saw more changes than the previous one for Mavericks Youth. Zoe moved to GS, Michaela McFarlane to GA, Caroline Howard came on as WD, Steph Collard came on as GD and Ellesse Lee as GK. Taking into account the changes Mavericks Youth started well scoring the first goal of the quarter. With some hard work from the defence and re-offering of the attack meant Mavericks Youth led by 22 goals to 15. Time was called, this gave both teams a chance to get together and talk tactics. Mavericks Youth reacted well to the short break, with quick attack and turnovers from defence which allowed us to increase the lead. Celtic Dragons struggled to keep fluency in their play as they forced passes into the circle they were picked off by the Mavericks Youth defence. The hard work throughout the Mavericks Youth team reflected the score at the end of the quarter. Mavericks led by 31 goals to 17.

Going into the last quarter Mavericks brought on some fresh legs. Sam Brightman came on as GS, Zoe moved to GA and Abby O’Hara came on at C. It took us time to adjust and as a result we lost the first centre. Some consistent shooting from Celtic Dragons meant they brought it back to 10 goals in it. Time was called by Mavericks Youth. This was an advantage and broke up the run of goals for the opposition. We responded strongly, scoring twice in a row. With confident play, positive drives and tight man-to-man marking Mavericks Youth looked strong. A turnover in defence enabled Mavericks Youth to have the last attack of the game. The final score was 42-24.

Overall it was a great win and a good experience for all the girls. Well done and bring on West Midlands!

By Charlotte South
(Mavericks Youth)

All photographs by the Galleria Mavericks Official Photographer Kevin Jones: www.netstarphotos.co.uk