With a fast first centre pass from captain Panagarry, Lightning managed to put the first point on the board with Cholhok under the post. Smith moves swiftly to push her player to the edge of the circle to break down Dragons’ defence.
Lightning pull ahead of Dragons as Cholhok puts up point after point. With Dragons in possession of the ball, Lightning work hard to delay them by taking out their passing options. Harvey showcases her defending to stop her opposition and send the ball down to the other end of the court.
The Lightning's defense shone in the first quarter, with Smith putting her body in the line of the ball and Cobden making a great interception.
The second quarter began with a centre pass for Dragons which Cobden quickly intercepted to put Lightning back in possession. Cholhok manages to grab the ball from the air amidst pressure from two Dragons players and makes a conversion.
Cobden applied pressure on Dragons’ captain Nia Jones at the edge of the circle. Cholhok goes on to make three consecutive conversions for Lightning who soar ahead. Later in the quarter, Harvey pushes herself to the limit as she stretches across her player. Those last few centimetres proving vital for the intercept.
Lightning led by 18 points by half-time.
Half-time: Loughborough Lightning 37 - 19 Cardiff Dragons
The third quarter began with a substitution from Head Coach Vic Burgess as Bella Baylis came on to replace Nat Panagarry. Lightning’s attack and defence worked tirelessly to halt Dragons with Harvey making a strong leap toward Dragons’ shooter Phillipa Yarranton to the applause of the crowd.
Soon after, Joseph also makes a great leap for the ball on the third line before sending it straight to Cholhok waiting under the post. Further substitutions saw Roddy replace Smith at GD and McCall replace Clark at GA.
Dragons turn up the heat on the court as they strived to catch Lightning whilst Harvey deflects the ball. Another defection then came from Cobden near the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter included a quick one-two between Cholhok and McCall which allowed Cholhok to get under the post for another conversion. The Lightning attack work tirelessly to get the ball into the circle. Jade Popoola replaces Cobden at WD.
Quick movement at the edge of the circle from Baylis and Joseph leads to a conversion. More substitutions from Burgess sees Smith replace Harvey at GK, Cobden replace Baylis at C, and Baylis switch to Joseph at WA.
Strong defending from Dragons results in an interception for their defence as they work hard to narrow the score line. The game came to an end with a last-second conversion from Cholhok.
Full-time: Loughborough Lightning 69 - 41 Cardiff Dragons
After their impressive win, Lightning head coach Vic Burgess commented on the team’s performance...
“A really solid performance, one thing we always talk about is being ruthless. The girls put a lot of pressure on each other in training to build those connections and play the best game they can.”
Long Tall Sally Player of the Match was awarded to Hannah Joseph who said:
“I thought that everybody that came into the game made a great impact.”
Lightning will face Severn Stars at the University of Worcester Arena on Saturday the 13th of April, where they look to keep their winning streak alive. Tickets to Lightning’s 2024 home campaign are on sale now and can be purchased here.
Starting line-up:
GS: Mary Cholhok
GA: Ella Clark
WA: Hannah Joseph
C: Nat Panagarry
WD: Beth Cobden
GD: Nicola Smith
GK: Alice Harvey