DARTMOOR was able to hold off an oncoming Westerns outfit to earn a 49-44 win in an impressive display in the South West District Netball League’s A grade competition.

A quick start from the Giants was momentarily slowed with key defender Charlotte Rice going down with an ankle injury in the second quarter.

While it was a big loss for Dartmoor, they managed to push ahead with their defensive unit taking advantage of missed shots and shooters Marlee Gartlan and Mikayla Rice offering strong rotations.

The Giants pushed their lead out to six goals by half time.

Westerns hit back in the third quarter with Rachael Gleeson moving into defence and finding plenty of ball, which was rewarded through shooters Ruby Church and Brooke Polaski, to bring the margin back to one goal at the last break.

The Roos’ pressure allowed them more opportunities in the final term, but it was Dartmoor who managed to maintain their composure to close out the game with a five-goal win.

Rebecca Vankalken was instrumental for Dartmoor in the midcourt while Keely Price held down their defensive end despite losing Rice early.

Giants’ coach Leesa Logan said it was a solid win for the second-placed side.

“I was happy with that, we obviously had Charlotte go down early and one of our A reserve players stepped on and she really stood up,” Logan said.

“So did Emily (Pridham) in defence, she’s barely played there this year, so she did really well.

“They were tough, and it was a tough game but to the girls credit they stood up.

“There’s a few things to take away from it but we were happy.

“Their pressure is good, and their shooters did well so I was happy we were able to get the win.

“We’ve been working on coming forward and I feel like we did that well and not overpassing which we’re working on and not succumbing to the pressure and keeping their heads.”

Cavendish wins in close call against Saints

Branxholme-Wallacedale was close to pulling off the upset of the season on Saturday, going down to third-placed Cavendish by just three goals, 49-46.

The Bloods went into the clash without star shooter Marni Luhrs with the Saints quickly taking advantage of a slowed scoring rate.

It was an impressive performance from Saints shooters Crystal Tonissen and Karoraina Karatau-Keightley who have been dominant in the goal circle the past few rounds.

Despite a lift in performance from the Saints, Cavendish managed to close out the game and claim a three-goal win.

Coleraine dominate against Lions

Coleraine kept a consistent scoring rate against Heywood on Saturday to run out with an 82-41 win.

It was a big scoring effort from both teams with the Maroons earning plenty of turnovers and executing in the circle.

The win is a big percentage boost for Coleraine who sit in fifth place just one win behind Westerns.