Netball Super League | Round 18: Lightning win to confirm home semi-final

Loughborough Lightning confirmed a home Netball Super League semi-final by storming to a 72-60 win over Severn Stars as the regular season drew to a close.

The side will now face London Pulse, who played out a dramatic 54-54 draw against Saracens Mavericks, in front of their own fans at the Sir David Wallace Arena.

Surrey Storm clinched a 58-51 victory over Strathclyde Sirens as both sides waved farewell to the Netball Super League.

Elsewhere, Manchester Thunder earned a dominant win over Leeds Rhinos as Cardiff Dragons held off a rallying comeback from Team Bath.

Loughborough Lightning earn home semi-final

Loughborough Lightning confirmed their home semi-final with a 72-60 win over Severn Stars in their final game of the regular season.

A battle between two sides in the top four, Lightning took the early lead and ran with it, with a 18-15 scoreline after the first quarter quickly spiralling into a 39-24 advantage at the half.

Stars, who finish the regular season in fourth, made the most of their opposition’s errors, leading the stats in pickups as Jasmine Brown made herself an unmoveable wall as goal keeper.

Home semi-final secured! 👊#bringthenoise pic.twitter.com/Nvuh0L0V1h

— Loughborough Lightning Netball (@LboroLightning) June 15, 2024

It was a performance that reeked havoc on Lightning shooter Mary Cholhok’s efforts. Cholhok was still able to reach an incredible 48 goals at the Sir David Wallace Arena, but was consistently challenged by Brown, uncharacteristically sitting at a 76 per cent shooting success rate.

Despite racing ahead in the first-half, Lightning suddenly saw a challenge from Stars.

The visitors came out after the break with a new fighting attitude and won the third quarter 20-17 before levelling the final 15 minutes 16-16.

The fight back showed a determined Stars proving their place in the top four ahead of a semi-final match with Manchester Thunder next week.

Meanwhile, Lightning confirmed that they will be on home soil for their semi-final clash with London Pulse.

Mavericks force a stalemate with Pulse

Saracens Mavericks fought back to a 54-54 draw against London Pulse in a nail-biting final game of the regular season.

The two sides went toe-to-toe on feeds and defensive actions in what was a tantalisingly close match throughout, with Mavericks pushing to close the gap at every opportunity.

Pulse edged ahead in the first quarter to a 12-9 lead with Funmi Fadoju ever-present in defence for Pulse in a key performance that saw her claim two interceptions, six deflections and two gains.

Her standout showing was pivotal in denying the home side from pulling ahead as Mavericks ultimately appeared to let a few too many opportunities pass by.

Ending all square 🔲

⚖️ A final quarter comeback from the home side sees the points shared. @SaracensMavs l @Pulse_Netball pic.twitter.com/IW28LvQhDs

— Netball Super League (@NetballSL) June 15, 2024

Ine-Marie Venter sank goal after goal at the Hertfordshire Sports Village but was under pressure from a dogged Pulse defence.

Having won the first half of play, Pulse suddenly saw the game flipped on it’s head with Mavericks storming back into contention.

The final nail-biting moments saw Mavericks pull level with Pulse to make it 52-52 before the visitors took the lead once more by just one goal.

In a game that went right down to the final whistle, both teams came out equal in a thrilling match-up.

Storm wave goodbye with victory

Surrey Storm waved an emotional goodbye to the Netball Super League with a 58-51 victory over Strathclyde Sirens.

In what was both teams’ final game in the league, they battled to an exciting finish, with Sirens storming back to win the final quarter.

Sammy Ngubane shone for Storm in the early stages with a high shooting percentage, even playing her hand in a couple of centre passes and the visitors seemed to push ahead.

The prefect way to end it 🥹#SurreyStorm #ForeverStorm pic.twitter.com/Y7nVIsrDxE

— Surrey Storm (@SurreyStorm) June 15, 2024

But Sirens were on the prowl and quickly reeled their oppositions back in, narrowly losing the second quarter 15-14.

Rachael Fee was a defensive powerhouse on court, with a staggering seven deflections, four interceptions and six gains to help propel her team ahead.

Her performance was backed up by Haniisha Muhameed who took a further four deflections of her own whilst the always impressive duo of Proscovia Peace-Nwokocha and Sophie Drakeford-Lewis were dominant in the circle.

Sirens continued to pressure and saw their efforts rewarded in the final stages, winning the last 15 minutes 15-8.

Cerys Finn and Emily Nicholl linked up well to halt the Storm shooters but it was ultimately too much of a slow start and Storm took the victory to close out their seasons.

Cardiff Dragons fend off Bath

Cardiff Dragons held off a rallying Team Bath Netball to end their season with a 58-41 victory.

Dragons flew out of the blocks with a dominating first quarter of netball, soaring to a 17-8 lead in just 15 minutes.

It was an emphatic performance for the Welsh side who confirmed their eighth place finish for the 2024 season.

Smooth like butter 🧈

⛵️ Cardiff Dragons sail down the court to sink another goal.#NSL2024 | @cardiffdragons_ pic.twitter.com/YtcEdsVj5g

— Netball Super League (@NetballSL) June 15, 2024

The opening two quarters saw Dragons take control, with Georgia Rowe leading one side of the court and the defensive duo of Jacqui Newton and Leah Middleton holding down the other.

But the youthful injection of Jayda Pechova for Bath made instant impact and the rising star worked hard to halt the progression of the hosts.

The third quarter saw Bath close the gap, narrowly losing the 15 minutes 11-9 before a dramatic final quarter 14-10 win.

With all players taking to the court for their final game in the NSL, Bath showed their strength in the closing moments but were left with too much to do after a rapid start from Dragons and fell to a loss.

Thunder silence Rhinos

Manchester Thunder head into the NSL playoffs with a dominant 68-32 triumph over Leeds Rhinos.

In a fitting end to the regular season, Thunder won the War of the Roses in Hull in what was a defensive and reactive masterpiece.

Thunder started off slow and steady but quickly picked up the pace to eliminate any hope of a Rhinos fight back.

That is a wrap. Thank you for following along. We hope you enjoyed it. Join us for the semi-final next week at Belle Vue! 22nd June. It’s going to be a brilliant game!

Thunder 68-32 Rhinos!

Will I be allowed back again? No one knows.#NSL2024 pic.twitter.com/7RmyiM1GuQ

— Manchester Thunder (@thundernetball) June 15, 2024

The visitors made their mark by picking up on a multitude of errors by the Yorkshire side, with all but Elmere van der Berg earning one or more deflections, a total of 29 gains and 16 pick ups.

Shadine van der Merwe and Ella Bowen were particularly strong for the visitors, with turnover after turnover taking place.

In usual style, Michelle Magee and Geva Mentor brought a dominant defence on court for Rhinos but it was not enough to make a mark.

Rhinos ultimately ended their season in fifth place, with Mentor finishing her first season back in the Super League with a total of 81 gains and 95 deflections.

Thunder now head into their home semi-final against Severn Stars.

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