KEY POINTS:
Before she went into combat yesterday, Maria Tutaia felt a vibe in the changing rooms she had never experienced before.
That backstage confidence and jollity of the Diamonds was transferred on-court into an upset 50-48 victory over reigning National Bank Cup champions the Magic. And no one was more upbeat and on-song than goal shoot Tutaia.
"I can't explain it - it was a different feeling before this game. Everyone was really chirpy, happy," Tutaia said.
"We knew the Magic would come back with more urgency after they were smashed last weekend, but we just knew we had the heart to win the game."
It was one of those come-from-behind victories the Diamonds are becoming adept at, never letting the Magic stray more than five goals ahead before patiently reeling them back to control the final quarter.
The performance of Tutaia, goal keep Anna Scarlett and teenage goal attack Paula Griffin, who shot with flair straight off the bench in the last quarter, would have heartened the Silver Ferns coaches before the team leave for England today.
The Diamonds' victory - their fourth in a row - gives them a huge leap in confidence towards a semifinal spot, now sitting clear in third with two games to go.
Just a point separates them from the Force and the Sting, who underpinned their lead with comprehensive wins yesterday - the Sting outplaying the Rebels, 60-50, and the Force exacting a 57-42 win over the Flames, heavy-hearted in the absence of their captain, Julie Seymour, whose mother died during the week.
The Diamonds laboured in the first spell to move the ball through the middle of the court, trailing by four at the break.
Diamonds coach Sue Hawkins then urged her keeper, Scarlett, not to hunt for the ball, but sit back on Magic shooter Irene van Dyk under the post. In the battle of limbs that ensued, Scarlett helped stem the stream of ball to the Magic shooters, yet van Dyk still shot with near perfection, missing only one of her 36 attempts.
In the midcourt, Jenny-May Coffin's smooth feeding and experience kept the Diamonds focused and calm, and they were just one goal off the pace going into the last quarter.
Tutaia played with control and calculation beyond her 20 years, shooting from any range and angle under pressure from Magic defender Casey Williams. In her typical modest style, Tutaia tendered the credit to her shooting partners - first, Grace Rasmussen, then Griffin, who potted eight from 10 to end the game.
"Grace did all the hard yards for me, then Paula came on and brought a different dynamic to the game with her confidence shooting," Tutaia said.
A shooting shuffle did wonders for the Force yesterday, when the new combination of Megan Dehn and Brigette Tapene took early control of their critical encounter with the Flames. Australian Dehn, making a rare appearance at goal shoot, and Tapene, who has rarely taken the court this season, gave the Force more fluidity in the circle.
The Force gave their best team effort yet, outscoring the Flames, two goals to one in the first quarter, and then kept the screws on.
Despite the rallying efforts of relieving captain Maree Bowden in midcourt, the Flames simply missed Seymour marshalling their game plan.
"It's bloody hard - she's our captain," lamented Flames coach Marg Foster afterwards. "We were trying to pick it up, but we really only have a strong seven, and the rest are promising young players. It's been quite an emotional week for all of them."
The Force would stutter, too, if their midcourt Napoleon, Temepara George, was missing from their line-up - once again proving yesterday how influential she is.
Force coach Yvonne Willering chose to use the 29-18 halftime lead to experiment with substitutions, and the changes did the team no harm. Catherine Latu was again strong under the hoop, while the circle defence pairing of Leana de Bruin and Sheryl Scanlan were explosive - more reassuring news for the New Zealand team, especially as Scanlan snatches back more form since the birth of her first child.
There were good points for the Flames - the grit of defender Bessy Manu and the swish shots of Jade Topia. But Foster knows, realistically, the Flames now need wins over both the Shakers and the Sting after the two-week break to stay in the hunt.
