The Cats defeated the Bears 65-42 at Deakin Reserve on July 18, improving their record to 12 wins, one loss and one draw after 14 rounds to remain firmly in contention for glory.
Mooroopna sits third on 50 points, only two behind current frontrunners Euroa and Echuca, which both boast 13-1 records as the business end of the campaign fast approaches.
For Shepparton, the defeat leaves it seventh at 7-7, the Bears level on 28 points with fifth-placed Tatura and sixth-placed Mansfield, but trailing both on percentage as the battle for finals positions intensifies.
After being held to a disappointing 47-47 draw by Shepparton Swans in round 13, Mooroopna returned to its best with a controlled four-quarter performance.
The Cats established their authority immediately, racing to a 17-8 lead by the first change.
Shepparton produced a stronger second quarter and scored 14 goals, but Mooroopna continued to build its advantage and entered half-time ahead 32-22.
Cats shooter Ashley Lancaster said the side had been determined to deliver a response following its frustrating draw with the Swans.
“Coming off the back of a pretty upsetting performance in our last game, we wanted to come out here and show that we can get back on track and perform how we know we can,” Lancaster said.
“I felt like we did that today.”
Mooroopna put the contest beyond Shepparton during the third quarter, adding 18 goals while limiting the Bears to 12.
That opened a 50-34 advantage at the final change before the Cats won the fourth period 15-8 to complete the 23-goal victory.
Lancaster said maintaining the same intensity throughout an entire match had been an important focus for Mooroopna.
“We need to keep pushing, as we do have a history of starting strongly and then dropping off,” she said.
“We need to keep working on ending games as well as we start them. That’s a big goal of our team, so it was good to see that today.”
Lancaster led the way under the post with 43 goals, while Annecy Lyon provided strong support on court with 19 and teenager Layla Ratcliffe contributed three goals of her own.
At the opposite end, Kimberly Borger scored 24 goals for Shepparton and Ruby Higgins finished with 18, as the Bears continue to sweat on a finals place - with loss representing a fourth loss in their last five outings.
Lancaster said Mooroopna’s success this term had been built on contributions from every area of the court.
“When you have a score like that, obviously everyone has done a brilliant job, so they’ve all played their part,” she said.
“Everyone across the court did well — the defence did well, the midcourt and our shooting end all came together. It was a great team effort.”
The Cats had also placed an emphasis on reconnecting as a group after their previous stalemate versus the Swans.
“We came off the back of that battle last week and we just wanted to get around each other with our team spirit and bring those vibes,” Lancaster said.
“We wanted to come out, be level-headed and play our best game.”
Around the grounds, Euroa retained top spot on percentage after crushing Benalla 91-18, while Echuca kept pace through an 83-42 win over Rochester.
Meanwhile, Mansfield strengthened its hold on sixth position by defeating fourth-placed Seymour 50-39, while Tatura’s 97-17 demolition of Kyabram lifted it to fifth on percentage.
Finally, Shepparton United remained four points outside the top six after beating the Shepp Swans 64-30.
