A NINE unanswered goal burst to end the third quarter has helped secure Woorinen their eighth win of the season and further entrench themselves in the Central Murray top three.
After the Kangas reduced a five goal half time deficit to just two goals mid-way through the third term, the Tigers responded with their match winning run, with Tayla Bennett scoring eight of the nine goals.
The 47-37 win ensures Woorinen remains four games clear inside the top five, with the Kangas now sitting two games behind fifth placed Swan Hill in seventh spot on the ladder.
The Tigers were able to get the jump on Cohuna in the first quarter despite conceding the first two goals, with Bennett (35 goals) and Willow Conlan (12 goals) helping Woorinen to open up a five-goal lead by the first break.
It was a pleasing start to the match for Bennett, with Woorinen trailing at quarter time in each of their last six matches heading into Saturday’s match.
“We were really happy with our start, we’ve focused on our consistency in recent weeks and starting each quarter well and it paid off,” Bennett said post-match.
“We’ve been making sure we’re improving our mental load, especially with our younger players because it can be a lot to ask of them to switch on for that whole time.
“We really wanted to come out of the gates strong today and it was a big positive that we did that.”
Woorinen’s ability to transition the ball from defence through the midcourt with speed and accuracy troubled Cohuna at times, with Chloe Militto and the Martinez twins, Violet and Olivia, combining perfectly with defenders Lily Den Houting and Courtney Lolicato.
The other incredibly pleasing sight from a Woorinen perspective was the return to the court of Tessa Demaria, who came on at wing defence for a period of time on the third quarter.
“Defensively we chipped away at it, but through the midcourt I think we were calm and composed the whole way through,” Bennett said.
“We’ve worked on our speed of ball movement a lot over the last couple of weeks and we have been building in that area.
“We know that the top teams are stepping up as well and we took a lot from those couple of games we played against the Eagles and Kerang, so we’re hoping when we play them again we’ll be able to match them with that.”
Although the Tigers listed Bennett and Conlan as their better players, Bennett was also quick to praise the work of defenders Den Houting and Lolicato, who worked tirelessly to contain Cohuna’s Carla Walker and Tanner Edwards.
“Lily didn’t start the season in that defensive role and she’s really come a long way in the last couple of games,” Bennett said.
“I feel like she’s finding her place in defence as well as building her on-court connection with Courtney.
“We’ve also got Violet Martinez rolling through there as well and if the three of them can continue to build on what they showed today (Saturday) that should hold us in good stead.”
Although the final result didn’t go their way, Cohuna coach Georgia Anderson said there were plenty of positives for her team to take from the game, with the Kangas set to make some changes in the weeks ahead.
“We had to change our thinking for the season and decided to go with the things we could control and goals for each week,” Anderson said.
“We worked on everyone focusing on their own game, composure for less unforced errors and to just have fun and we achieved all three.
“We had a great day among the team and it was really nice to bounce back with some positives, all while still being two players down.”
Kangas centre Taylor Hird was named as her team’s best on court, while young gun Marli Easton worked tirelessly in defence opposed to Conlan.
Final Whistle
| Cohuna | 37 |
| Woorinen | 47 |
