18.2 Girls soar into VJBL Finals
Southern Peninsula’s Under 18’s have done it the hard way in season 2022.
The girls had a few hiccups to begin the season, winning just one of their first six games, resulting in them sitting at 8th spot on the ladder.
Four head coaches rotated through the role for the first two months of the team’s formation and was extremely disruptive to the team’s rhythm.
Injuries also took a toll on team numbers and the overall morale of the squad, with Charlie Hansford and Mackenzie Ziegerink battling through health setbacks.
“We only had four or five girls at training, and I have a team of nine,” head coach Jade Odom said.
Their luck began to turn at the midpoint of the season and the wins started to pile up.
“When we finally got everyone together, that’s when we started winning,” Odom said.
The 18.2 Girls, led by head coach Jade Odom and assistant coach Keely Phillips stormed home to win four of their final five games.
“They’re coming at a peak where everything is finally coming together,” Odom said.
“And I think the girls’ sense that too, so they have a lot more motivation to work harder… and have a lot more accountability.”
“They’re a really good group, all of them get along well and it just has a family feel right now which is great,” she said.
With two games of the regular season remaining, it did appear the girls had left their run at finals too late as they required wins against first and second place to secure a finals berth.
The second last round required them to beat a second placed Warrandyte, which they did comfortably, claiming victory by 16 points thanks to a 25-point masterclass by Lily Bell.
The biggest hurdle came in the final home-and-away match versus the first-placed Western Port who had beaten the Sharks by eight points in their last outing.
It could have been the final game of their junior careers had they lost.
However, they stepped up defensively, as did Western Port, with neither team eclipsing 25 points.
Heading into the final quarter the Sharks faced a three-point deficit.
Knowing that a win would launch them into the top five, the girls played out of their skin.
It’s not often you see teams execute a complete shutout in an entire quarter, but the girls did it, holding Western Port scoreless in the final term.
The Sharks seven-point victors, 23-16.
“They persevered through so much,” Odom said.
“I definitely think they can make it all the way to the grand final but it’s all about how hard we want to work to get there.”
“If you make finals, you may as well go all the way, right?” She said.
The 18.2 Girls will battle against Pakenham in an elimination final this Friday night at Frankston Basketball Stadium.