There were nail-biters aplenty in the Horsham District A Grade netball competition on Saturday, with three of the weekend’s four games decided by two goals or less.

At the top of the table, Rupanyup’s meeting with Edenhope-Apsley surpassed expectations, with the Panthers pulling out a 47-46 win after a see-sawing contest.

The ladder-leading Panthers earned a one-goal advantage at quarter time, but coach Georgia Hiscock tweaked her line-up.

The home side rotated Zanaiya Bergen, Bianca Drum, Ilze Van Zyl and Maddi Morgan through goals, while at the defensive end Lucy Bussenschutt, Victoria Taylor and Holly Ross took turns checking Saint goalies Dee Dee Lambert and coach Lavinia Fox.

The Saints, in contrast to Rupanyup, played the same line-up for much of the afternoon, with Hayley Campbell, Mereana Crawford, Jasmine McIntyre and Holly Whitehead rotating through the centre and wing positions while both goal circles remained unchanged.

The consistent approach paid dividends in the second term, as Edenhope-Apsley scored 13 goals to 10 to take a two-goal lead.

But in the third term the Panthers re-asserted themselves, turning the deficit into a three-point lead at the final change as Ally Hiscock excelled at wing attack and Bergen found her rhythm in goals.

The final quarter was a high-scoring shootout, with Lambert and Fox on target for the Saints.

The visitors led by as many as four goals with five minutes remaining, and Fox nearly put them up by five when her shot bounced twice on the rim before caroming out.

The Panthers raced to the other end of the court where Drum netted the first goal of what would prove to be a match-winning 8-3 run.

With a minute remaining Rupanyup still trailed 46-44, but a quick score, followed by an intercept from Taylor on the ensuing possession, saw them even the match.

Van Zyl’s shot to win the game from the ensuing centre pass missed and the Saints had one last chance to steal a victory, but Taylor again caused a deflection that saw her team regain possession.

Rupanyup lobbed into Van Zyl, and though the horn sounded before she could take a shot, an obstruction call from the umpire gave her an attempt to win the game after time expired, which she calmly converted.

The result saw Rupanyup gain a four-point lead over Laharum at the top of the ladder, which, with a percentage buffer, should see the Panthers capture the minor premiership. The Saints remain in third place.

A result at the other end of the ladder – although one no less significant to the players – saw Pimpinio earn its first win of the year, defeating Harrow-Balmoral 45-43.

The Tigers looked set to romp to victory after a huge second quarter in which they outscored the visiting Roos 17-8, but Harrow-Balmoral coach Emily Langley switched from goal shooter to goal defence in the second half, helping slow down the attacking tandem of Janae Slorach and Ada Binney.

The Roos drew within a goal after holding Pimpinio to just five scores in the third term, setting up a tense finish as Tigers supporters held their breath.

With five minutes remaining Pimpinio had re-established a five-goal lead, and although the Roos attempted to claw their way back once again, time expired on them.

Leading the Tigers to victory were captain Emily Hannan in the midcourt and defender Tahnee Brown, while Millie Austin impressed for the Roos at wing defence.

Another one-goal result, Kalkee’s 48-47 win over the Swifts, saw the Kees solidify a finals berth while all but ending the Baggies’ post-season hopes.

The Kees jumped out of the blocks to lead by five goals at quarter time and seven at the half, but Swifts slowly chipped away at the deficit.

With co-captain Michaela Carey on fire in goals, the Baggies scored nearly 30 goals in the second half.

Carey’s game-high 30th goal gave Swifts a two-score advantage with only a minute remaining, but the Kees scored quickly through Isobelle Schorback and got the ball back when a pass sailed over the head of Swifts co-captain Kathryn Boag and out of bounds.

Schorback scored twice in the span of 15 seconds – the latter of which came only a second before the final horn – to break the home side’s hearts at the death.

The final match of the round was comparatively one-sided, with Noradjuha-Quantong overcoming a one-goal deficit at quarter time to beat Taylors Lake 49-31, led by Taya Quick, Holly Nuske and Brooke Pay.

This weekend will see the Bombers travel to play Laharum in a potential finals preview, with Kalkee at home to Kaniva-Leeor United, Swifts visiting Harrow-Balmoral, Edenhope-Apsley hosting Natimuk United and Rupanyup at Taylors Lake.

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