Stars demolish Magic as Wilson fires up, Crampton dominates midcourt
The Waikato/BOP Magic have been humbled at home by a rampant Stars outfit inspired by Maia Wilson and wing-attack Gina Crampton.
Stars captain Wilson finished the afternoon with 44 goals – she was shooting at 92% – as the Magic appeared powerless about how to stop her and the creative Crampton.
The Magic barely fired a shot in front of their own fans and the loss leaves them with more questions after their round-one loss to the Pulse.
But while the defeat to the reigning champions was a close encounter, they were simply blown off the court by the Stars, with the game effectively over as a contest by halftime due to the Stars 19-10 second-quarter burst.
The visitors were fast out of the blocks in the first quarter, and the Magic struggled to cope with the visitors superior ball movement and intensity.
Their impressive start took the home crowd out of the equation, with wing-attack Crampton pulling the strings with aplomb.
The momentum continued in the second quarter as Wilson and Amorangi Malesala ran hot with their shooting under the watchful eye of Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua, who was in the stands in Tauranga.
The Magic will be disappointed with their inability to stem the bleeding, as the rampant Stars raced out to a 14-goal lead at halftime without too much resistance.
The home side were also forced to play catch-up last round against the Pulse, but the gap against the Stars was considerably bigger and gave them too much to do.
Bailey Mes’s inaccuracy under the net didn’t help, but the Stars superiority was built on their work rate and sharp passing throughout the court. Their determination in defence also kept the chances of a Magic comeback to a minimum.
Best on court
Crampton epitomised the Stars high-energy approach and intelligent reading of the play, but it’s hard to go past Wilson. The dominant goal-shoot was almost unplayable at times.
The big moment
It’s hard to pick out a single moment when the Stars superiority was so complete, but Crampton’s beautiful long pass to Wilson in the final quarter to push out the score to 54-36 summed up the brilliant understanding between the pair yesterday afternoon.
Match rating: 7/10
Even the Tauranga crowd must have grudgingly appreciated the clinic put on by the Stars. Their athleticism and precision augurs well for the rest of their season.
The big picture
The Stars host the Steel tomorrow, while the Magic welcome the Mystics to Hamilton, still in search of their first win. The Stars will be full of confidence, but the Magic have work to do on their defensive intensity.