Sunday 8th January 2023
This weekend Eagles took on Ryland, who had been a challenging match in the earlier stage of the season. It was a great performance from all being the first game back to Prem after the Christmas break.
The first quarter began with a bit of a slow start for the team however, Eagles iconic defensive sister duo, Tori and Katie Fisher were able to turnover ball to regain the lead for Eagles with the help of new addition Izzy Kaye at WD. The remaining time of the first quarter viewers saw some excellent partnership between both attack and defence, connected together by Sophia Shalabi at C, working together seamlessly to finish off the quarter 17-9 to Eagles.
The second quarter saw no changes as the team continued to build on this combination pulling away with a comfortable lead. In this time strong holds and circle rotations worked effectively, enabling the team to deliver the ball into the safe hands of Libby Burgess who shot 93% in this match. Summer Knight’s availability on centre pass was flawless, always providing options and linking the through court successfully. Meanwhile, the defence continued to work tirelessly, turning over ball after ball against Ryland’s strong attacking end. The second quarter ended 34-20.
Third quarter showed the true perseverance of Ryland as they continued to push the Eagles team. Izzy Kaye moved from WD to C and continued to repeatedly intercept what was thought to be unachievable, and the introduction of Charlotte Maxfield in at WD didn’t alter the connections of the defensive unit demonstrating the strength and depth of the squad. In addition to Charlotte Maxfield, Jemma Nightingale came on as WA withholding the strength on centre pass attack and showing some great defensive pressure through court. Later in the quarter, Georgie Maxfield came on as GA switching with Regan Peters, who shot 89% as GA. Georgie added a new dimension to the game, offering flawless feeds to the shooter under pressure. This quarter ended 51-29 to Eagles.
Final quarter saw the team succeed in maintaining their lead and great efforts from all players were displayed. Fantastic partnerships in defence and consistency in attack allowed Eagles to finish the game with a victory (70-41) to add to the table. Opposition’s player of the match went to GS Libby Burgess who was unstoppable in attack, demonstrating fantastic shooting and partnership with her players.
