A RUN of form and surging confidence has South Mildura within striking distance of the final five as the halfway point of the season approaches.
The Dogs celebrated playing coach Tara Bate’s 100th club game in style with a massive win over Robinvale Euston at John James Oval.
South have won two games on the bounce after starting the year with four losses, following up their superb result against Irymple with a thumping 60-36 win over the Eagles.
Their scoring haul was their highest total for 16 games and their biggest since last year’s round 8 against the weekend’s opponents.
Led by shooter Maddison Jess and midcourt gun Tayla Sellens, South’s win pushed them to sixth on the table with matches against Red Cliffs and Imperials to come in the next two weeks.
“I think any coach would be happy to get two wins in a row,” Bate said.
“I think it’s a bit of a combination of everything, we’ve built a bit of confidence after the last few games and things are starting to fall into place with our combinations on the court.
“We’ve had a few new girls come in who had never played for the club before, alongside some others who were coming back, so it does take that time to come together.
“For the moment I think we need to just stick to what we’re doing and just continue growing as a team.”
Bate said her milestone wasn’t at the front of her mind before the game.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s been 100 games,” she said with a laugh.
“It was nice but my focus is more about what we bring each game and focusing on the team.”
Bate praised the efforts of Jess in attack.
“Maddison always brings extra every game,” she said. “You can’t ask for much more as a coach.
“She’s got such a strong drive and she’s an amazing shot at goal.”
Belle Giofrelle and Georgie Kelly were named the Eagles’ best players.
