VYC WOMEN COACH PREVIEW- PRELIMINARY FINALS
A message from VYC Women’s coach Jo Wood ahead of our Final this weekend:
Last week we headed out to Ringwood to face a pumped up Hawks unit. We started well with our hard running in offence and great work on the glass troubling the Hawks defence, however we were unable to reward ourselves on the scoreboard. As the quarter progressed we were able to capitalise on our hard work and took a six-point lead into the first break.
We began the 2nd quarter strongly as we extended our lead to nine before a strong fight back by Ringwood cut the lead to one at the half. The 3rd quarter was all Ringwood as once again we struggled to convert our opportunities and it was Ringwood that took the lead heading into 3 quarter time.
The last quarter was a close one as both teams exchanged baskets, however some key stops and clutch free throw shooting in the final minutes allowed us to come away with a tough seven-point win. 13 lead changes and 12 score ties are evidence of a very close game. Ella Batish dominated inside with 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists while Chloe Hicks continued her stellar form with 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Morgan Riley (14 points) and Emma Crees (12 points) chipped in with some big buckets when needed while Mia Cigognini’s attack on the boards and defensive presence was again a key for us.
This week we face giant killers Dandenong who knocked off the top of the ladder Bendigo Braves last week. They are a fast paced team with many scoring avenues and we will need to bring our defensive A-Game and make the most of our own scoring opportunities if we are to progress to our 3rd consecutive grand final.
Go Sabres!