Game Detail // ANZ Championship 2008

Round Name: Round 10 Starting Date: 7/6/2008

Team			v	Team		Location	Date/Time
	» Magic	56	v.	» Firebirds	50	Energy Events Centre, Rotorua	08/06/2008 5:30 PM

	SKY Sport Time:	17:30

Game Report:

In a high quality, entertaining game worthy of a trans-Tasman test, ColourPlus Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic defeated the Queensland Firebirds 56-50 in Rotorua on Sunday evening.

Both teams can be proud of their outstanding work in this top-of-the-table Round 10 contest, but it was Magic who left the venue with two points and a four-point lead on the ANZ Championship ladder.

In a battle of mighty equals there was little to choose between the defensive heroics of Laura Geitz, Peta Stephens & Clare McMeniman for the Firebirds, and Magic�s Casey Williams, Joline Henry & Laura Langman, but at this level small margins weigh heavily. Williams� lion-hearted containment of super shooter Romelda Aiken, Henry�s vision and judgement, and Langman�s exceptional athleticism carried the day in an eventful and thoroughly gripping game before a full house at Rotorua�s Energy Events Centre. International coaches Ruth Aitken (New Zealand) and Norma Plummer (Australia) were among the spectators.

Magic started strongly and led 6-3 after the first five minutes, until serious pressure by McMeniman on Amigene Metcalfe, and Lauren Nourse on Langman put the ball in the hands of Aiken whose shooting pulled the Queensland side ahead 7-6 in the eighth minute.

Magic goal shoot Irene van Dyk levelled the score, but the Firebirds got into the swing of releasing the ball to Aiken who kept scoring, despite Williams� ferocious defence of every pass and every shot. The Firebirds forged ahead to lead 11-8, but three van Dyk goals brought Magic to 11-all before an inspired Nourse pass to Aiken over Williams, and a contact call against young Magic wing attack Halana Leith took the quarter score to 13-11 in favour of the Firebirds.

The Queensland side pressed home their advantage early in the second quarter, with lovely feeds from Nourse helping them push out to 16-12 before a Williams rebound, Langman intercept and Henry pick-up put Magic back into contention. Aiken and van Dyk went goal-for-goal, before Firebirds goal attack Tamsin Greenway kicked in to edge the Firebirds a little further ahead on 21-15 in the eighth minute.

The Firebirds kept that six-goal lead until two consecutive van Dyk goals, scored off a Henry intercept followed by a Magic centre pass, brought the score to 25-22, five minutes before half-time. Tit-for-tat scoring continued until a couple of turnovers, then a nicely judged pass by Leith to van Dyk and defensive pressure from Henry brought Magic level at 27-all. Another van Dyk goal, and then another, from a sweet Tutaia-Leith feed across the circle, ended the half with Magic ahead 29-27.

Magic coach Noeline Taurua made several changes at half-time, switching Langman to wing defence, Henry to goal defence, Metcalfe to wing attack in place of Leith, and bringing on Jodi Tod at goal defence. This combination immediately put a collective foot to the floor, taking the score to 34-29 in the first four minutes. Then disaster struck when Tod, with an intercept and two deflections already on the board, rolled her ankle off Aiken�s foot and was taken to hospital. Taurua sent Leith back on court and reverted to her first half line-up which responded immediately with another goal.

The Firebirds scored twice, but Magic used extra possession won by Williams & Henry to pot five consecutive goals before Greenway made it 40-32. Despite Magic�s advantage at this point, neither team was giving ground, with a lovely slide into space by Tutaia and a Langman pick-up matched by a Stephens pick-up and a Geitz intercept. However, although the Firebirds clawed back a couple of goals in the second part of the third quarter, van Dyk�s power onto the ball and Tutaia�s feeding and quick shooting from a distance began to out-gun Aiken and Greenway.

Firebirds coach Vicki Wilson brought Janelle Lawson on at goal attack at the start of the fourth quarter, moving Greenway to wing attack, and Nourse to centre in place of Katie Walker. The quarter opened with Magic ahead 44-38 and the home team held, then extended that advantage slightly, thanks to smart feeding into van Dyk and energetic work from the defence line.

With just over seven minutes left in the game, and the score at 51-44, Wilson returned to her original line-up, but they could not reduce the deficit and Magic held firm to win one of the season�s best games to date by six goals.