Staff Writers, Monday, 16 July 2012.
It may have taken an extra-time thriller to get there, but the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic will ride an 11-game winning streak into the ANZ Championship grand final, after a 57-48 victory over the Northern Mystics tonight.After the preliminary final in Auckland was locked up at 44-all at the end of a fervent 60 minutes, the Magic lifted their game to another level in overtime. They’ve now booked a date with the Melbourne Vixens this Sunday - the third time in five seasons that the Magic have made the grand final.
It was an excruciating end to the Mystics’ season, after victory was in their grasp with a five-goal lead in the final quarter. And it also closed the door on Silver Fern Temepara George’s illustrious netball career – not the send-off that she hoped for.
The fizzing nerves in both sides were obvious in the opening minutes of this do-or-die clash: a Charlotte Kight intercept off the Magic’s opening centre pass was converted into the Mystics’ first goal; but the Magic immediately answered back with cloying defensive pressure from Casey Williams and Leana de Bruin. The continuing errors were equally shared, and neither side could build on more than a two-goal advantage.
Laura Langman figured as a playmaker from the outset, backed up by Magic wing defence Elias Shadrock, hungry for loose ball.
While all four shooters were in the thick of the action, Mystics goal attack Maria Tutaia was the most prolific, shooting nine from nine in the opening stanza, which ended at 12-all.
It was the Magic who made the first impact on their return to court, foxing the Mystics’ attack into simple mistakes and striding out to a four-goal lead. Goal attack Julianna Naoupu was calm and collected, linking fluidly with Irene van Dyk.
But the advantage was shortlived, as the Mystics fought back to equalise, instigated by the drive of captain Temepara George. Although an attempt at a Harrison Hoist went awry, the naturally long reaches of both Anna Harrison and Kayla Cullen disrupted the Magic shooters.
The Magic held a sliver of a lead, 24-23, at halftime, and started to build confidence again after the break.
Mystics coach Debbie Fuller asked her attack to mix it up in the third quarter, after becoming “too predictable” with Tutaia taking on the bulk of the shooting responsibility. The Mystics listened, and with deft offloads from Tutaia, goal shoot Cathrine Latu began to figure prominently once again.
That change of plan saw the home side reel in – and overtake - the Magic, who found themselves doubting their passes into the shooters under intense pressure for the Mystics’ great wall of defence from Harrison, Cullen and Kight.
A 36-34 lead going into the final 15 minutes equally grew to five before the Magic could add to their total. The nerves reappeared with 10 minutes left, again affecting the hands of both sides.
With de Bruin and Williams desperate to keep Magic’s championship hopes alive, the Magic again equalised with less than two minutes to play. A poached ball from de Bruin finished off by van Dyk sent the game into extra time at 44-all – the first extra time of the ANZ Championship season.
A composed Magic scored five goals on the trot before the Mystics even fired, making space where it previously had not been, and Langman perfectly setting up van Dyk beneath the hoop time and time again.
At the turnover, with the Magic 51-46 ahead, the Mystics made a monumental change to their defence, bringing Jessica Moulds into the circle replacing Cullen. But the Magic had the momentum to keep rolling towards the grand final, completely dominating the final seven minutes, even with Williams in obvious pain from cramp.
