Leka leads Mermaids to overcome Sparrows

Sports

Snax Mermaids overcame a determined Credit Corp Sparrows 49-36 in the Port Moresby Netball Association premier division tier 1 match of the round on Wednesday at the Rita Flynn Netball Courts.
The encounter was played in high tempo as both team applied different tactics to gain the upper hand. Sparrows made most of their passing and movement whilst Mermaids played through the centre court making use of long passes.
Sparrows centre Neritha Adula, along with Maimu Kala and Dianne Lahari, stretched the Mermaids’ defence with their passing game, finding space for shooters.
However, Mermaids were up to the task as they countered with their bold style of passing and moved the ball at speed to catch their opponents on the back foot.
Mermaids centre Kila Leka and wing attack Eloise Vele’s tireless efforts in delivering the ball to their shooters gave the lead to the Mermaids at half time 24-19.
In the final two quarters the defence of both teams came to the fore as the goal keepers lifted their game to deny the shooters any easy point.
The Mermaids pairing of Tau Galewa and Caroline Kanapoti continued to impress with their energetic performance, as they chased down every loose pass and made important intercepts.
Other results: (Tire One) Paramana 41 def Telstars 36, (Tire Two) Rebels 67 def Veupunama 37, Raukele 32 def Mona 29.