Dragons record first home win of the season

After recording their first of this year's campaign away at Stars, Dragons completed the double through an emphatic third quarter performance which contributed to the host's 57-51 win.

Quarter 1

Stars get an early turnover and score off their own centre, getting an early 2-goal lead. Dragons throw the ball over the back line twice in a row, but are straight on defence and an intercept from Lefebre Rademan sees them back within 1 goal. The game is swinging in momentum as Stars get their 2-goal lead once again, but Dragons aren’t letting Stars go any further. An intercept from Annabel Roddy and goal from the Dragons shooters levels the scores once again in this intense battle. Severn Stars manage to sneak a lead going into the second quarter.

Quarter 2

Hannah Leighton enters the court at Centre for Dragons. Off the first centre pass, Shaquanda Greene-Noel gets a huge intercept, equalling the game once again. Cat Tuivaiti shows off her no-look passes, but Leota is called for footwork, giving the possession to Dragons. Annabel Roddy continues the fire for Dragons as she gets an intercept, giving Dragons a 5-goal lead early in the second quarter. Dragons defence continues to put pressure on Stars attack as Shaquanda Greene-Noel gets a rebound. Summer Artman stems the flow of Dragons’ run of goals and gets an important intercept for Stars. Shaquanda replies and gets yet another stat on her sheet, but Iman Thomas stops the ball from getting to Dragons attack. Dee Bolokaro enters the court for Stars at Goal Defence to hopefully put some doubt in the mind of the Dragons shooters. Stars get another turnover and manage to get the gap back to 3 goals going into the second half.

Quarter 3

Stars start the quarter strong and level the scores. Great teamwork from Laura and Lefebre keeps the ball in play off a Stars centre pass as Dragons hope to get the momentum back on their side. Shaquanda Greene-Noel gets a big interception for Dragons as they increase their lead once again. After the impressive start from Stars, Dragons get important turnovers to give them a 6-goal lead with just under 7 minutes to go. Dragons momentum is coming from Shaquanda Green-Noel at the back as she get yet another interception. Nothing seemed to stop Dragons in the third quarter, as they take a 12-goal lead into the final 15 minutes.

Quarter 4

Stars get an early turnover off the Dragons centre pass and manage to convert, trying to reduce the lead Dragons created in the third quarter. The battle between Tuivaiti and Greene-Noel has continued the way it started, with no-one giving the other any space. Both teams are giving their all to get a win. When one team gets an interception, the other team replies. As Stars draw closer to Dragons, Annabel Roddy gets that ever important intercept. Georgia Rowe ticks over the scores as she falls out of court and places the ball in the net. With 5 seconds to go, Dragons get the ball back to Georgia Rowe and she nets it to give her team the win. Dragons make it 2/2 wins against Stars this season.

Gilbert Player of the Match - Laura Rudland (Celtic Dragons)

Starting Sevens

Dragons - (GK) Greene-Noel, (GD) Roddy, (WD) C Jones, (C) O'Dwyer, (WA) Rudland), (GA) Rademan, (GS) Rowe

Stars - (GK) Artman, (GD) Herdman, (WA) Thomas, (C) Dyke, (WA) Leota, (GA) Reed, (GS) Tuivaiti

Report provided by Celtic Dragons

You can also watch the highlights from all the games in the VNSL 2022 season HERE. Buy tickets to support Celtic Dragons at their home games here and support Severn Stars at their home ground by buying tickets here.

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