THE western suburbs’ elite City West Falcons and VU-Western Lightning occupy two of the top three positions in the Victorian Netball League championship division.
The Falcons are atop the standings after a thumping 73-31 win over Ballarat Pride at the State Netball
and Hockey Centre on Wednesday night.
The goaler combination of Kathleen Knott (49-of-59) and Maggie Lind (22-of-29) worked a treat for the Falcons, while the Pride constantly found its progress repelled by hard-nosed defence from Casey Price.
The Falcons have won five of their opening six games. Their only blemish was against the Lightning.
Since the western derby, the Lightning has strung together four consecutive wins, including a nailbiting 33-32 win over Southern Saints in their most recent outing in Bendigo.
Defence was the order of the night, and the Lightning is one of the best at it.
The two sides combined for just 65 goals and the Lightning won 33-32.
Brooke Thompson and Fiona Themann kept the Saints goalers in check, while the playmaking duties were squarely on the shoulders of in-form wing attack/centre Amelia Hills, who claimed the three umpires’ votes.
The VNL resumes next Wednesday night with the Falcons meeting Geelong at the SNHC. The Lightning takes to the court on April 14 against the Boroondara Genesis at the Caroline Springs Leisure Centre.
