Stars finally shine as Kopua suffers injury
The Northern Stars claimed their second win of netball’s 2018 ANZ Premiership beating the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic in Takanini last night.
After eight losses from nine games, the Stars were finally able to shine in South Auckland.
The game was blighted by a leg injury to Magic captain Casey Kopua who was ruled out during the warmup. It forced the visitors into a hurried reshuffle of their side.
But the Magic looked formidable at the start. With Stars’ English import Ama Agbeze on the bench, the powerful Lenize Potgieter looked comfortable 56 51 circle edge, while goal attacker Paula Griffin showed a boost in confidence to turn and shoot.
Convincingly taking long range shots with an impressive 91 per cent accuracy rate, Griffin stepped up in sharing the load with Wilson against a tough defensive line-up.
Magic defender Kate Lloyd, who is another one of New Zealand’s young rising stars, led her side in the defending circle as captain Kopua sat out the game.
Establishing pressure on the Stars’ shooters, Lloyd helped ensure the Magic remained close.
Converting on the few mistakes the Stars made, the Magic closed the gap on the scoreboard at the start of the third quarter.
But with Agbeze back on the court and Ellen Halpenny fresh in the shooting circle, the Stars continued to snatch and convert valuable ball while reclaiming and holding tightly to a narrow advantage.
Not willing to go down without a fight, the Magic put in a feisty effort in the final quarter as the tenacious Sam Sinclair led her side across the court.
However, the Silver Fern’s efforts weren’t enough to hurt the in-form Stars as the northern side dominated the final minutes of the clash to claim another home victory.