KEY POINTS:
The heat will go on the competition leaders this weekend as they fight to cement their place in the top four of the ANZ Championship.
With just three rounds remaining, the battle for semifinal places is intensifying and any slip-ups from here on in could cost teams a place in the play-offs.
The match-up which is likely to have the most implications on semifinal positions in round 12 will be Monday night's battle between the NSW Swifts and Adelaide Thunderbirds, with the other contenders having fairly straightforward battles over the weekend.
The table-topping Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic take on the last-placed Central Pulse in Wellington today.
Magic coach Noeline Taurua said her side are eager to bounce back from their disappointing performance in Melbourne on Monday night. Given the short turnaround the Magic haven't trained as a team all week, but Taurua believes the team will bounce back strongly. She is hoping the loss, which was just their second of the season, will motivate her side to work harder over the final rounds of the regular season.
"Sometimes you've got to go down to go back up again," Taurua said.
While the Magic are expected to win and maintain their No 1 ranking with little fuss, Taurua believes the Pulse will push her side hard.
The last time the two sides met back in round five the Magic were convincing 54-37 winners after leading 18-4 at the first break.
"In that last game it was only really the first quarter that we blew out. From then on they pretty much went toe to toe with us," Taurua said.
"They've got a very strong defence end so the big thing will be really cutting down on those errors on attack and making sure of our possession."
In today's other match, the Vixens will be looking for a similarly convincing performance when they meet the West Coast Fever in Perth. The ninth-placed Fever are the only Australian side out of play-off contention and the Vixens will be hoping for a win to keep the competition at bay.
The Canterbury Tactix begin a difficult run home tomorrow when they take on the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane. The Firebirds sit outside the top four for the first time this season after their heart-wrenching one-goal loss to the NSW Swifts last week. With the Tactix struggling to rediscover their form since losing star shooter Jodi Brown mid-season, the Firebirds will fancy their chances of nailing the two points.
Monday night pits the Northern Mystics and the Southern Steel, who are still considered an outside chance to make the play-offs, before the crucial battle between the Swifts and the Thunderbirds.
LINE-UP:
ANZ Championship _ round 12
Today: 2:30pm Central Pulse v Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic, Wellington; 4:30pm West Coast Fever v Melbourne Vixens, Perth.
Tomorrow: 3:30pm Queensland Firebirds v Canterbury Tactix, Brisbane.
Monday: 7:00pm Northern Mystics v Southern Steel, Auckland; 9:00pm NSW Swifts v Adelaide Thunderbirds, Sydney.
