Tactix win grand final rematch but Pulse bonus point could be telling
The Tactix have leapfrogged the Pulse into third place in the ANZ Premiership after winning a rematch of last year’s grand final in Christchurch.
The Tactix led from start to finish as they bounced back from last week’s gut-wrenching extratime defeat to the Stars with a 55-52 victory over the side who beat them to the title in 2020.
Although the result would have done little to make up for the Tactix’s grand final heartbreak, every victory is crucial in the run to the playoffs, with just three points separating the second and fifth-placed teams on the table.
However, the home team were left to rue a late-game fade as they blew a 10-goal lead to hand the Pulse a bonus point, which could come back to haunt them at the back-end of the season.
Ellie Bird shot at 81 per cent (46/57) for the Tactix and was well supported by Te Paea SelbyRickit (9/14 at 64 per cent), who finished with 13 goal assists.
The Pulse struggled to overcome the late withdrawal of firstchoice goal attack Te Amo Amaru-Tibble due to illness. However, Aliyah Dunn did her best to carry the shooting load, making 47 from 54 attempts at 87 per cent.
Jane Watson set the tone early on defence as the Tactix raced out to a 3-0 lead.
The goal keep had two intercepts and forced another turnover in the opening five minutes, before the Pulse fought back off the back of four straight goals from Dunn to get back on level terms.
More sharp work on defence by Charlotte Elley combined with quick hands in the circle helped the Tactix wrestle back the momentum for a 16-12 lead, which they maintained for much of the second period.
Tactix coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek wouldn’t have been happy with a mid-quarter lapse that kept the Pulse in the contest.
But they snapped back into gear with a late flurry just before
the break to leave the visitors with it all to do in the second half, trailing 32-25.
If Delaney-Hoshek was disappointed with their profligacy in the first half, the coach would have been fuming at the start of the third quarter.
Four, mostly soft, turnovers in the opening five minutes gave the Pulse a sniff of an unlikely comeback as they cut the deficit to just three goals.
That was as close as they got though, as the Tactix again pulled away to lead by five heading into the final quarter.
The hosts proceeded to stamp their authority at the back-end of the contest with a five-goal run to open up a 10-goal buffer.
The Pulse deserve credit for refusing to throw in the towel and capitalising on the Tactix’s mistakes to leave with a bonus point.
But addressing her side’s tendency of falling away in patches is sure to be at the top of DelaneyHoshek’s to-do list ahead of this week’s game against the Steel, while the Pulse travel to Auckland to play the top-of-the-table Stars.