The Lions led at every break, but were overrun in the final quarter, going down by four goals to the second-positioned Kangaroos. 

Meanwhile, Bacchus Marsh returned to the winners’ list with a thrilling on-the-road two-goal victory over Melton South.

Cobras coach Michael Saker said despite his team’s game style not suited to the wet and slippery conditions, the players adapted well as they slowed the tempo and played a lot of short ball to help reduce turnovers. 

“The conditions made it tough going for the shooters,” he said. “But we stood up and kept our patience for the four quarters. We had to change our style because we are pretty quick through the midcourt and we tend to rely a lot on our speed.”

Saker said it was a physical contest with Melton South pushing the Cobras in the final term as the home team cut down the lead. 

Bacchus Marsh co-captains Kaila Ingham and Linda Powell led a team effort. 

“Kaila controlled the midcourt really well and gave us a lot of presence and patience through the whole court, and Linda had some big stops in the defensive end,” Saker said. “We are creating plenty of turnovers defensively, that side of our game is really good, but it is just the reward for effort now. We need to be putting those shots away and keeping the scoreboard ticking over.”