The Limpopo Baobabs secured their first-ever Telkom Netball League second-division Final. This comes after a 56-41 win against the Diamonds at the heartfelt Arena, Gauteng on Thursday.

It was a close contest in the first quarter and saw both teams separated by just one goal. The Limpopo Baobabs had no solid and consistent leads, but they worked hard to get the ball back and convert.

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The Diamonds struggled to keep possession by the circle edge, which gave the Baobabs a one goal lead. Baobabs Goal Defense Modjadji Ramurwalo shut down the goal-for-goal flow with an impressive intercept, helping her team stretch their lead. However, the Diamonds made the task even more daunting with three overcooked feeds that became turnover balls, giving the Baobabs a 39-30 lead at half-time.

Both teams maintained the same consistency in the third quarter, scoring the exact number of goals they had in the second quarter. The Baobabs dominated the last quarter and disrupted the Diamonds’ rhythm on the attack with their deflections.

Coach Nthabiseng Hottie called a timeout to instruct a different game plan when the Diamonds had only managed to slot in one goal, four minutes into the fourth quarter.

LIMPOPO BAOBABS SECURE TELKOM NETBALL LEAGUE FINAL SPOT

The Baobabs exerted more defensive pressure, forcing turnover balls with their defensive rebounds. The crowd erupted as soon as the buzzer went off, and the Baobabs relished the moment of glory and hard-fought victory.

The Baobabs will play against Tornados in the division 2 final on Friday at 18:00.