Sparrows’ defence pays off

Sparrows defeated Mermaids, 53-40 in the Port Moresby Netball Association premier division tier one match on Wednesday night at the Rita Flynn Netball Courts.
The Sparrows put in a dominant performance, storming home in the final two quarters of the match for the 13-point victory.
The match started off with both teams on even footing, playing a free-flowing game without either side dominating play. The only factor separating them was their defence, with the Sparrows pair of Kilala Owen and Courtney Abel working tirelessly to subdue Mermaids shooters.
For the Mermaids the makeshift defensive pairing of Isabelle Andrew and Jeperth Tulapi showed great energy and athletic ability as they battled to shut out the Sparrows shooters.
After the first quarter scores were locked at 10-all, but Sparrows were able to pull away with an eight-point lead 25-17 heading into half time.
In the second half Sparrows began to drive home their advantage as centre court combination of Neritha Adula and Dianne Lahari turned up the pressure on the Mermaids with their passing and movement creating space for their shooters who increased their lead.
Sparrow’s coach Julienne Leka told The National that the victory was down to the team’s commitment in defence.
“Overall it was the defence right throughout that made the difference for us. I always believe in defence, it wins every game. I’m happy that we’ve been able to polish up on a few things, and it worked really well,” Leka said.
Results: Wed, Sept 6 – Paramana 53 Telstars 38; Rebels 58 Veupunama 30, Raukele 44 Mona 31.