Steel iron out errors

Even when momentum swung the Southern Steel’s way, a win looked unlikely. The team trailed the Central Pulse by 11 after three error-riddled quarters in Wellington on Monday night.

A run midway through the final quarter promised to close that margin.

That run soon turned into an avalanche.

Sarahpheinna Woulf began plucking ball from everywhere and Georgia Heffernan showed all her nerve to make the big shots in the pressure moments.

Heffernan scored the goal to make it 59-59 with eight seconds to go, completing a 19-8 quarter to force extra time.

From there, the Steel rode the wave.

Woulf and Kate Burley come up with key ball, allowing George Fisher to take her team to a 66-63 win.

Significantly, the Steel did it without key pieces, notably defender Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit and coach Reinga Bloxham.

However, had Selby-Rickit been there, it is probable Woulf would not have been on court to wreak havoc on the Pulse attack.

Likewise, stand-in coach Jo Morrison’s decision to inject Georgia Heffernan as a substitute for Saviour Tui at goal attack proved a masterstroke.

The Steel had trailed 14-5 when the change was made — notably due to a 7-0 run early on.

From there, the attacking end began to connect and a 6-1 run stemmed the flow.

Heffernan, while not perfect, had her best game in a Steel uniform. She finished with an accuracy of 94 per cent and hit 15 of her 16 shots, including several big ones in crunch moments.

It also helped as Fisher struggled for volume throughout much of the game, although the late rally helped lift her to a typically impressive 48/50.

They were matched, for most of the game, by the unerringly accurate Pulse duo of Aliyah Dunn and Tiana Metuarau.

Both missed just one shot each, Dunn finishing at 98 per cent with an impressive 52/53. For three quarters they were dominant.

The Steel defence came up with their share of ball, but the accuracy of the Pulse shooters allowed their side to hold their lead.

That lead was established early. A held ball, a stepping call and a long feed over the baseline left the Steel trailing 8-1.

That grew to 14-5 as the Steel attacking end struggled to connect and the Pulse looked rampant.

Kate Heffernan came up with two intercepts, while twin sister Georgia was injected and the bleeding began to slow.

The Steel got back to within four, although the Pulse were able to hold an 18-11 lead at the first break.

That continued throughout the second quarter, and while Woulf and Burley began snagging some ball, Dunn and Metuarau continued their dominance to lead 34-26 at halftime.

It was a lead that grew again in the third quarter and as the Pulse lead became 11 and no sign of a let up, it seemed to be meandering to a foregone conclusion.

At that point the Steel lifted. They began coming up with ball and the Pulse shooters, while retaining their accuracy, all of a sudden seemed disconnected from their midcourt.

They managed just eight goals in the fourth quarter, while the Steel attack end began finding each other with confidence.

They did enough to tie the scores in the dying moments, before they took their first lead in extra time.

It was a lead it did not give up as the Steel claimed the win and leapfrogged the Pulse into second place on the ANZ Premiership table.