Horsham District A Grade netball ladder-leader Rupanyup showed a gap still remains between it and most of the chasing pack as it downed top-five contender Noradjuha-Quantong on Saturday.

The Panthers gave their home crowd plenty to cheer about after trailing by two goals at quarter time and a goal at the half, outscoring the visitors 29-14 in the second half to win 47-33.

Rupanyup showcased its depth during the contest, playing 10 players, with Holly Ross, changing between goal defence and wing defence, helping keep the Bombers subdued.

Coach Georgia Hiscock, her sister Ally Hiscock and captain Meg Cashin won out in the midcourt, while Bianca Drum, Ilze Van Zyl, Zanaiya Bergen and Maddi Morgan all featured in goals at different stages of the game.

The Bombers were led by Taya Quick, who scored 23 of their 33 goals, while midcourters Jayne Tucker and Holly Nuske did their best to combat the Panthers. While the loss dropped Noradjuha-Quantong to fifth place, the Bombers received a favour from Edenhope-Apsley, which beat Swifts 58-45 to keep the Baggies at bay in sixth.

Defender Olivia Spence got on top of Swifts co-captain Michaela Carey in goals, and with Dee Dee Lambert returning after a week off, the Saints had too much firepower of their own.

Rebbekkah Seeary was the Baggies’ top player, netting 25 goals from 31 attempts.

Reigning premier Laharum was clinical after quarter time against Harrow-Balmoral, overcoming an early two-goal deficit to win 37-26.

Demons coach Rebecca McIntyre gave her Harrow-Balmoral counterpart Emily Langley trouble in goals, with Langley connecting on only 16 of her 30 attempts as McIntyre checked her closely.

At the other end of the court Courtney Taylor, 20 goals, and Maddie Iredell, 17, kept the scoreboard ticking amid tricky conditions.

A resurgent Natimuk United continued its climb up the ladder after a slow start to the season, beating Kaniva-Leeor United 43-35 to earn its third win in a row and fourth from its past five games.

The Rams set up their victory with a 14-goals-to-eight second quarter, as goaler Emma Uebergang, who scored a game-high 30 times, came to the fore.

At the other end of the court Cougar Ruby Gordon fought hard to break free from Natimuk defender Keeta Scown, finishing with 20 goals.

Taylors Lake jumped on Pimpinio early to set up a 47-34 win, handing the Tigers their 11th loss from as many games this season.

Harriet Overman led a trio of players who rotated through the Lakers’ goal circle, while Tahlia Thompson played her second game for the Tigers this season, scoring 18.

Headlining this week’s games will be a top-five clash between Kalkee and Laharum at Kalkee Recreation Reserve – a rematch of the round one clash that saw the Demons triumph by a single goal.

In addition to the finals implications for both sides, the match will mark a major milestone as McIntyre plays her 300th A Grade game.

Other matches will see Harrow-Balmoral host Taylors Lake, Natimuk United travel to play Swifts at Stawell’s North Park, Pimpinio host Edenhope-Apsley and Rupanyup away to Kaniva-Leeor United.

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