With the rain pouring down, the Saints were unable to keep pace with the 2024 Goulburn Valley League grand finalists, losing ground at every interval to eventually go down 28-72.
The home side set a cracking pace to get proceedings under way in the first term, dominating the court to close out the quarter with 13 of the last 16 goals, although Benalla managed to stay within touching distance, trailing 7-18 at the first break.
The Saints were valiant, but the relentless Echuca pressure blew the game open in the second term as Benalla’s scoring dried up, the visitor managing four goals for the term while the Murray Bombers added 19, with Benalla 26 in arrears by half-time.
The Saints showed plenty of fight in the third term, doubling their output from the second quarter to add eight goals, while also recording their best quarter defensively, stemming the flow somewhat to restrict the home side to 15 for the term, although they still trailed 19-52 at three-quarter time.
Echuca flexed its muscles again in the final quarter to blow the margin out slightly against a young Saints side, with the 20-8 fourth term the way of the Murray Bombers contributing to Benalla’s eventual 44-goal defeat.
Olivia Dalton was again named Benalla’s best in the loss, working tirelessly through the midcourt, while Nikita Hanson and Milly Evans were also among the most influential, providing a solid contest at either end of the court.
Despite the result, there was still at least one positive, with under-17 player Georgia Levy making her A-grade debut and impressing, as the Saints continue to expose their promising youth to the top-flight.
In other grades, Claire Marriott, Mim McKenzie and Darcey Carracher led a spirited B-grade fight, but the Saints ultimately went down 27-53, while the B-reserve side fell 21-49 despite the best efforts of Matilda Horne, Zoe Liddington and Remi Nicholas.
In the juniors, the under-17s were beaten 33-50, with Horne, Eliza Sammon and Levy named among the best, and the under-15s suffered a similar fate, going down 31-51, with Ilka Cunneen, Darcey Carracher, Remi Holmes and Liv Davis the most influential.
The Saints have a week off due to the split round 16, but will return to the court to take on Tatura at Benalla Showgrounds on August 9.
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