Sport
29 July, 2025
Lexton hunt down Maldon with 91 goals
Lexton will head into next week’s bye after clawing together three straight wins, setting the stage for a riveting end to their regular season following an authoritative 68-goal win over Maldon.
With their last two opponents, fellow final-bound teams Navarre and Carisbrook, boasting two of the top four defences in the league, the Tigers can be confident their offence is up to the task after scoring 91 goals against the Bombers.
Lexton listed the same side that comfortably defeated Harcourt last week, while Maldon came into this contest without midcourt standout Claire Kelly and defenders Claire Hamilton and Chelsea McKimmie, who featured in the Bombers’ encouraging loss to Talbot.
Maldon’s Gabrielle Kelly and Emma Webb played well marshalling the host’s defence in the opening term, but they couldn’t stop Lexton from building an 11-goal lead by quarter time.
Defenders Brodey McKay and Sarah Griffin immediately showcased their defensive prowess in the first quarter, allowing only five goals in the period thanks to their defensive positioning causing several intercepts and rebounds.
With club stalwart Leesa Donhardt rested for the first quarter, Lexton’s scoring duties were in the capable hands of Charlize Kennedy and Kristy Hadler, who netted 12 and four respectively.
The visitors began to find a rhythm on the damp Bill Woodfull Reserve court in the second quarter, sprinting away to a 30-goal lead at half time thanks to a 25-goal second quarter.
Lexton’s transition movement was spectacular throughout the term, with Evelyn Reid, Darci Berry and Ciane Van Dyken fluently moving the ball from one end to the other in virtually an instant.
That allowed rising star Kennedy to score 20 goals in the period and Donhardt to quickly accustom herself to the match, scoring all five of her shots.
After having some shooting struggles in the first quarter, Sophie Zammit had an excellent second period for the Bombers, going six for six.
Zammit had another strong quarter to start the second half, helping to build the Bombers’ confidence with another six goals in the third term.
Despite Maldon’s improvements, they couldn’t derail the Tigers’ steaming offence, which scored a further 24 goals in an entertaining third quarter, extending their lead to 46 goals at the final break.
With a comfortable lead at half time, Lexton continued to rotate their team in the second half, allowing Kennedy and Hadler to reunite in the third period, with Kennedy scoring 16 and Hadler adding eight.
The visitors showed no mercy in the final term, saving their best offensive quarter for last with a stunning 26 goals in the closing 15 minutes, an average of a goal every 34 seconds.
McKay and Griffin remained in great form at the other end, conceding only four goals in the fourth quarter to blow out the final scoreline to 91-23.
Donhardt returned to the goal circle for Kennedy in the last quarter to score 14 goals while Hadler converted 12 of her 15 shots. Kennedy finished as the team’s top scorer with 48 goals from three quarters.
Zammit led the Bombers in scoring with 16 goals, including two in the final period.