Gaining the upper hand at halftime, the Burras maintained their lead to claim the two-goal victory. 

The weekend’s final scoreboard read Minyip-Murtoa 43 to Horsham 41. 

Minyip-Murtoa coach Clair Drum said the team went into the game focused and determined for a win. 

“In round six we had let Horsham run over us in the first quarter and it took us the rest of the game to catch up,” she said. “Coming into Saturday’s match, we were more determined to start the game strongly.” 

The first quarter had the Demons with a three-point lead, 12-9. 

Drum said the three-goal difference was easy to bounce back from. She said by the second quarter, the team reset with two positional changes that seemed to be the catalyst in gaining the upper hand. 

“For the second quarter I swapped Ashlee Knight from centre to wing defence and Stevie Bibby from wing defence to centre,” she said. “It showed during the quarter they were more comfortable in the positions.” 

Drum said the team showed a phenomenal effort in the second quarter. 

“The defensive end did a great job – and not just the circle defence, but throughout the court. We really showed what we were capable of during that quarter,” she said. 

The Burras added 17 goals to the Demons’ six at halftime, holding Demons’ shooter Emma Buwalda to three goals. 

Drum said Buwalda’s resilience was impressive.

“For someone to be restricted after a good first quarter only to dig herself out and finish with a good final quarter, you have to admire anyone who bounces back like that,” she said. 

By halftime the scoreboard had the Burras taking the lead, 26 to 18. 

Drum said the third quarter showed low scoring across the court with both teams tied to seven goals. 

The last quarter had Horsham score 16 goals to the Burras’ 10 goals, however, it was not enough to maintain the Demons’ undefeated streak. 

Drum said gaining momentum at the right time was key to securing the win. 

She said it was the Demons belief that has made them unbeatable until now. 

“The belief in themselves is a major thing – the belief that many teams haven’t matched,” she said. 

Drum said the Burras had improved since round six. 

“We came into the game with more desire and belief that we could do it,” she said.

Stephanie Cooper was named best player for the Burras. 

Drum said Cooper played above her usual standard.