CAVENDISH has kept its season alive after defeating Coleraine on Sunday in the South West District Netball League’s first semi-final, 45-38.

The game was evenly matched in the first three quarters before Cavendish put their foot down in the final term and charged ahead on the scoreboard.

In the absence of key defender Erin Kinnealy, the Bloods had Keely Price and Lauren Cameron take on the role in the defensive circle where they managed to nullify the dominant presence of Coleraine’s Amy Lewis and Holly Langley late in the clash.

Cavendish coach Leanne Perry said it was a confidence-boosting win and highlighted the way things are coming together at the right time.

“It was a really good win for us,” Perry said.

“We’d beaten them three times during the season so we knew we could do it, but I’ve always said if it’s meant to be, it’s up to me, so we went into it with that mindset.

“They’d been tough games previously but they had previously dropped off towards the end of the game so we knew if we stuck at it, we could push it out.”

The Maroons held on to make a third quarter surge, but Cavendish weathered the storm and then found another gear.

“We let them back in in the third quarter which was disappointing, but we were able to pull it back out again,” Perry said.

“Marni (Luhrs) and Carly (Behncke) were great leaders, they’re so passionate and have to focus on their roles but they lift the team as well.”

It was a tough finish for Coleraine who had shown some strong form in the late stages of the season but couldn’t close out their performance on Sunday.

Cameron was awarded best on court for her defensive performance.

The Bloods now face Dartmoor in Saturday’s preliminary final.

Other games

Heywood had a strong finish against Coleraine in the A reserve clash to walk away 29-24 winners.

Heywood defender Lauren Millard was named best player for the match.

In B grade Coleraine’s experience was in full force on Sunday, helping them to defeat Tyrendarra, 35-26 while Cavendish was too strong for Branxholme-Wallacedale in C grade, 34-24.

The 17-and-under match was decided by just three goals with Heathmere getting over the line against Heywood with a strong performance from Tigrha Cleary earning her best on court.

In the 15-and-under match Coleraine defeated Branxholme-Wallacedale 42-36 while the Maroons also won in the 13-and-under game against Westerns, 30-20.