Lahara books spot in netball grand final

By ROBINSON LEKA
ELEX Lahara 600 booked a spot in the mixed division grand final of the Motu-Koita West Netball Association competition after edging Elex Laurabada 12-10 during Saturday’s semi-finals at Hanuabada village.
Lahara centre Michael Uri provided a boost at mid-court with sibling, Joyce, and skipper Rose Sauka in support to see them dominate possession.
But a strong offensive by Laurabada, led by centre Miria Mea, saw a tight contest with goal shooter Ruth Moide coming out on top to give her side a 7-5 lead at halftime.
Lahara capitalised on their advantage in height with goal shooter Patrick Maraga towering over his opponents to bag an impressive four goals in the second half while Joyce added the extras to see them finish on 12.
Laurabada managed a strong comeback from a six-goal deficit with Moide in front but a strong defensive game by Lahara’s Tau Lohia and Rose Samson denied them extra points with the match ending at 12-10. “It’s a good feeling to get this far and go straight into the grand final because our team was inactive for some time,” Lahara skipper Sauka said at fulltime.
“We’ve tried our best not only in the mixed division, but in all our teams since the competition started and we’re just proud of how far we’ve come.
“The season has not an easy one because there have been a lot of good teams.
“We’re not going to be taking anyone lightly, we’ll still be making a strong finish in the grand final.”