Fowler propels Fever to the top of the standings
MELBOURNE, New Zealand (CMC) — Jamaican goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler won her personal duel with compatriot Shamera Sterling and had an almost perfect game to lead West Coast Fever to a 60-51 win over Adelaide Thunderbird in the Supernetball League last Saturday.
The experienced Sunshine Girls goal shooter had a strong finish to the seventh-round contest at Netball South Australia Stadium and netted 50 goals from 51 attempts at 98 per cent, but her haul was below her season average of 57 goals a game.
Her performance, however, was enough to earn the Fever their fifth win of the season out of seven matches, catapulting them to the top of eight-team table with 20 points and a superior goal difference – ahead of second-placed Melbourne Vixens on the same number of points.
Sterling had her ups and downs throughout the match, but she still enjoyed a handful of fine moments to finish with five intercepts and six deflections against her international teammate.
Two of the best players in the world, Fowler is the season’s most prolific scorer by almost 100 goals, and Sterling tops the competition for intercepts and gains.
“I had to be really prepared because she’s really strong,” Fowler said of Sterling. “It’s always good fun against her, but it’s hard work.”
The Jamaican pair of goal shooter Shimona Nelson and defender Jodi-ann Ward were part of the Collingwood Magpies that stunned crosstown rivals Melbourne Vixens 70-60 on Sunday at John Cain Arena, knocking them off the top of the table.
The match started with the Magpies in bottom place and the Vixens in top spot, but it confirmed the old adage that the standings mean little in derby clashes.
Collingwood, piloted by wing attack Kelsey Browne and centre Molly Jovic, were on song from the outset, establishing an early lead and staving off every attempted comeback from the Vixens.
Nelson ended the match with 48 goals from 51 attempts at 94 per cent, including 15 without a miss in the second quarter to extend advantage for the Magpies to 52-42 after the third quarter.
Jamaican defender Kadie-ann Dehaney grabbed three defensive rebounds and had four gains for Sunshine Coast Lightning, but New South Wales Giants crushed them 82-54 at USC Stadium.
With a top-four berth at the halfway mark of the season on the line between the two sides, a tight match was anticipated, but the Giants ran riot after a ragged start, and defeated their longtime bogey side Sunshine Coast for the first time in four years
Their score equalled the tournament-best posted by West Coast Fever, also against the Lightning, in the season opener in March.
Neither Jamaican goal shooter Romelda Aiken-george nor Trinidad & Tobago defender Samantha Wallace made it onto the court when the Queensland Firebirds ignited in the second half to land a 73-60 win over the New South Wales Swifts at the Nissan Arena in Brisbane.