Steel sticks at it for hardfought win over Mystics
IT was far from convincing, but the Southern Steel again found a way to win in Invercargill last night.
The side emerged a 5652 victor over the Northern Mystics to take its third win of the ANZ Premiership season.
A dominant patch through the end of the third and start of the fourth proved key for the Steel.
With the scores tied at 3838, the host side went on a 41 run to end the third.
That continued after the break, as the defence locked in to force several turnovers and the possession cashed in at the other end.
It shot out to a 4940 lead and while the Mystics finished the stronger, the deficit proved too much to overcome.
Steel assistant coach Lauren Piebenga said the team was happy that it was able to go on that run during what was otherwise a tight battle.
‘‘We’re happy that we did find a way, particularly on attack, to get some good ball in to our shooters. And defensively we started to combine a bit more as a unit as the game went on and produced some good pressure throughout the midcourt and defensive third, I thought.’’
Bailey Mes returned to form, making all 31 of her shots to be a constant threat at both goal shoot and goal attack for the Mystics.
She was fed some superb ball from goal attack Elisapeta Toeava in the first half, as the score kept ticking over.
The Steel looked flat at times, turning ball over and being made to work hard by an energetic Mystics defence.
However, it stuck with it and found a way to make things work. It led 1514 at the first break and maintained that at 2928 at halftime.
Wing defence Wendy Frew proved disruptive on the defensive end, as was goal defence Te Huinga Reo SelbyRickit.
The shooting duo of Jennifer O’Connell and Te Paea SelbyRickit had strong nights of their own. They shot at 37/42 and 19/24 respectively, and crucially rebounded five of their misses.
Rookie defender Courtney Elliott also made an impact on her introduction late in the second quarter. She created several turnovers and helped the Steel finish the half strongly.
That run continued when the teams returned and the Steel shot out to a 3228 lead. However, it was unable to sustain that as the Mystics edged in front at 3433.
The Steel was able to halt the run, however. It hung around and eventually edged ahead before going on its eventual matchwinning run to lead 4339 at the final break.
At that point the intensity picked up.
Piebenga said the team’s mindset was key to that.
‘‘I think we had some good energy at the start of the fourth. We got a nice run of six goals there to kick us off.
‘‘It’s just that dogged mindset and being able to absorb the pressure they were putting on.
‘‘It was a relatively physical game, so we needed to work out how not to play into their hands and to play our own style.’’