On Sunday, Leopards U15 travelled to Acton to face Starz U15 in the Sisters ‘n Sport Plate semi-final. With a slightly reduced squad, a big thank you goes to Abi and Ava from Pumas, for playing up.
Starz took an early lead in the first quarter, finishing 18–13 ahead. Our girls settled into the game well and, if there were any nerves, they certainly didn’t show them. Starz came out strong, contesting every ball and applying intense defensive pressure on our shooters. Leopards responded well, but a few unforced errors resulted in the five-goal deficit at the break.
Going into the second quarter, the focus was on matching Starz’s defensive intensity. The umpires allowed a more contested style of play, and the girls adapted well—challenging strongly on the body, delaying their opponents and fighting for turnover ball. It was a tighter contest, with Leopards losing the quarter by just two goals, 11–13.
The third quarter proved decisive. Midway through the period, Starz went on a run of seven consecutive goals. There was no major tactical change from Starz, but they continued to apply relentless pressure across the court, particularly in our shooting circle. The score began to run away from us as we struggled to convert our centre passes, allowing the gap to widen.
Heading into the final quarter, the message was to forget the previous quarter and give 110%. The attackers were encouraged to take on the defensive pressure, drive strongly to the circle edge, and the whole team was asked to match the defensive intensity Starz had shown throughout the game. The girls responded brilliantly, winning the last quarter 14–10, showing great determination.

Players’ Player of the Match (PPOM) went to Lola and Ava. Lola was outstanding in defense, applying constant pressure on the shooters, reading their movement well, and working tirelessly to disrupt play. In the final quarter especially, Starz were forced to reset several times due to the defensive pressure inside the circle.Ava was key in the attacking end, playing three quarters at GA before moving to Centre in the final quarter. As Centre, she gained valuable turnover ball and confidently took on the Starz defensive zone to deliver the ball to our shooters, linking defence and attack superbly. As GA, her movement and positioning created strong feeding opportunities, she secured most rebounds, and her shooting accuracy was over 85%.
Coach’s Player of the Match (CPOM) goes to the entire team. Every player contributed something special to the game. After the difficult third quarter, the way the squad regrouped and came back fighting in the final quarter was something to be incredibly proud of.

Well done to all!