Thunder ease past Team Bath with dominant second half

The relentless energy from both the sides meant it was end to end for the first 5 goals, but a key interception from goal keeper Josie Huckle changed the flow of the quarter and gave Thunder the chance to score seven goals without a response from Bath.  

Whilst Lois Pearson and Lenize Potgieter were heavily marked, they held their ground and used quick feet to get around an intense defence from Bath to put Thunder 19-12 ahead at the end of the first quarter. 

Bath’s defence of Caroline Mtukule and Jayda Pechova double marking Potgieter showed they were closing in on Thunder’s shooting stars, but that did not put off Pearson and Potgieter who managed to turn the pressure back onto their counterparts, forcing errors.  

Flying Scot Iona Christian and Captain Natalie Metcalf worked quickly in the centre however Bath were quick to spot gaps to launch a few long bombs, which Taylor McKevitt was more than a match for as Thunder closed out the half 35-27 ahead. 

A determined Team Bath emerged with confidence after the break, hustling on every third of the court. 

The fresh legs of Elia McCormick and Amy Carter were brought to court to take on the Bath battle, and McCormick soon found keeping up with Kadeen Corbin would take something extra.  

No move on court was half-hearted, every pass had to have so much power behind it as Bath capitalized on any weakness.  

However young guns like Christian and Pearson utilised their energy and nippy nature to stay on the ball and ahead of Bath and as a result, the black and yellows managed 20 goals in the third quarter to stretch their lead to 55-43. 

In the final quarter, Thunder were still able to achieve strong intercepts and tidied up their game with a more convincing play.  

The pressure appeared to get to Bath as Thunder took full advantage of sloppy errors to end on a strong note and totted up another 21 goals to Team Bath’s 14, giving a final score of 76 – 57. 

Report courtesy of Manchester Thunder.