Tactix trip to the Mystics
Battle to secure a home-ground advantage fails against final-bound northerners
The ANZ Premiership elimination final will be held in Southern Steel territory after the Mainland Tactix fell 63-59 to the grand final-bound Northern Mystics in Christchurch last night.
It was a crucial match for the Tactix who, having secured their place in the elimination final last week, were looking to make sure it would be played on home soil.
It wasn’t to be for the Christchurch side and they will head to Invercargill to face the Steel on Sunday. The winner of that match will take on the Mystics in the grand final at Spark Arena on August 8.
It is perhaps not the finals matchup that would have been predicted at the start of the season. The Tactix had a shaky start to their campaign and the Steel were all but written off, having lost key members of their squad from last year.
However, both produced consistent play as the season progressed, and the ability to put on spectacular performances when needed has put them firmly in contention for the title.
Though the Mystics had already secured their grand final position, they came out firing against the Tactix, storming to a 35-26 lead at halftime.
But it was game on in the third quarter as strong defensive pressure from the Tactix reduced the lead to just three goals to set the stage for an exciting fourth quarter.
Back and forth play plagued the Tactix in the final quarter and they were ultimately unable to translate their gains into much-needed goals — the Mystics punishing their mistakes with conversions by shooter Grace Nweke, who missed only two shots.
Mystics wing defence Fa’amu Ioane dominated the midcourt, picking up a huge chunk of her team’s centre passes and disrupting the flow of the ball for the Tactix in the centre third.
Tactix captain Jane Watson made significant plays for her team on defence but acknowledged their inconsistent attacking ability made victory elusive.
“We’ve been building this whole season, and I don’t think we’ve yet given a really solid match for a whole 60 [minutes],” she said.
The Tactix will need a full 60-minute performance to beat the Steel, who will be bolstered by their boisterous home crowd on Sunday afternoon.