Former captain lifts Steel in second loss
Defending champions the Northern Mystics held their nerve to triumph, 61-52, over the Southern Steel in their ANZ Premiership netball clash in Invercargill on Monday night.
Although the Mystics were clinical in notching up their second win from two matches, the Steel were within three goals in the third quarter.
The return of former captain Shannon Saunders and a faultless shooting performance from Grace Namana were the home side’s highlights.
A 92 per cent shooting performance from the Mystics and the seamless interchange of their strong bench players allowed them to keep in front throughout and pull away when they needed to.
Less than two minutes into the game, Saunders took the court at wing attack for her first game since having her first child.
Her vision and precision passing immediately lifted the confidence of the players around her, and the Steel had a muchimproved start to the game compared with their opening match.
The Mystics put pressure on the Steel at their centre pass, but when the ball got through to the Steel shooters, Namana and Georgia Heffernan were sure with their shots.
Goal shoot Namana ended the game on 100 per cent accuracy from her 33 attempts and took out MVP.
At the opposite end, the Mystics’ goal shoot, Grace Nweke, took much of the quarter to find her range, but after the first 15 minutes, the Mystics held the upper hand, 16-13.
Through some dogged defence in the circle from Carys Stythe and Phoenix Karaka, then Catherine Hall, the Mystics extended their lead to seven.
While the Steel midcourt of Saunders and captain Kate Heffernan, who picked up three sharp intercepts in the first half, kept the home side in the game, the shrewdness of Mystic feeders Peta Toeava and Tayla Earle, kept the Steel at arm’s length.
Up 32-25 at halftime, the Mystics upped the ante immediately and pulled out to a double-figure lead for the first time, but the Steel gradually pegged it back.
Defenders Abby Lawson and Taneisha Fifita niggled the Mystics into basic errors and kept the defending champions scoreless for a three-minute stretch.
A great understanding between Namana and Georgia Heffernan whittled the difference down to three, and saw the Steel eventually draw the third quarter.
But it was a run of five goals right at the death of that spell that put the Mystics comfortably back in control, 46-39.
Nweke ended the game with 91 per cent accuracy, and she was well supported by both her goal attacks, Filda Vui and Hannah
Glen.