KATIE O'Keefe knew the secret to beating Mount Gambier would rest in defence.
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One of her youngest talents answered the call.
O'Keefe asked guard Leah Bartlett to quash Mount Gambier's top scoring influence and it paid dividends.
Bartlett helped to restrict Mount Gambier's Olivia Wormald to just six points, her first match under double figures this season.
The 17-year-old drained 17 points of her own to help the Mermaids to a confidence-boosting win.
O'Keefe's side posted a 15-point victory, stretching its unbeaten run and cementing its status atop the south-west division ladder.
O'Keefe was delighted in Barlett's performance and praised the overall effort.
"They have one main scorer and when Leah went on her, she managed to stop her getting the 20 or 30 points she's been getting," she said.
"We used 12 players, as we'd use at home, and all the girls got on the court to get some minutes."
O'Keefe revealed her side entered the match unsure of what to expect.
"We were really happy with that win," she told The Standard.
"We hadn't met Mount Gambier since the first round when there were some key players out.
"We lost that game by so coming in, we didn't know what to expect."
The former WNBL guard said a mix of youth and experience had the high-flying Mermaids in high spirits on and off the court.
"It's brilliant being able to give the young girls that experience," O'Keefe said.
Nick Ansell
Nick Ansell is a sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard.
Nick Ansell is a sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard.
