Lahara Tigers qualify for Motu-Koita West netball semifinals after win over Tatana

HANUABADA Lahara Tigers have qualified for the Pepsi Motu-Koita West Netball semifinals after defeating Tatana in the mixed division knockouts on Saturday.
The Tigers led 6-1 at halftime and but were outscored 5-8 by Tatana in the second half but that was not enough to overturn the deficit and the Hanuabada side held on for a 11-9 win.Tigers’ captain and goal attack (GA) Loa Oala told The National that they were relieved to qualify for the semifinals and remained hopeful to earn a spot in the grand final.
“I feel honoured and relieved after this game, although it was a tough one, we managed to push through despite a few mistakes during the game,” she said. “I’m glad we finally made it through to the semifinals and hopefully we can make the grand final.
“Our performances since the start of the competition have been tremendous in terms of team effort, we’ve been working together as a team towards our goal of reaching the grand final.”
Oala said after identifying their mistakes from their match against Tatana, they would work on them before meeting another tough opponent on Saturday.
She said her side were good at following a game plan.
But she said they needed to be able to hold their nerve and stay focused when things weren’t going their way. “We know the game,” Oala said.
“But the feeling in the court is different from when you’re outside.
“When the nerves and excitement takes over, that’s when mistakes happen.”
“But I’m glad we pushed through and we look forward to the semifinals next week.”