Netball: Force edge out Flames

Force shooter Bridgette Tapene clearly heeded her coaches' advice about not fearing Flames defender Vilimaina Davu in yesterday's sudden- death semifinal at the North Shore Events Centre.

The slightly built 21-year-old who has had little court time in the competition was the saviour when she was called on to replace goal attack Megan Dehn who went off in the first quarter with a knee injury.

With both Force shooters Catherine Latu and Daneka Wipiiti out of sorts it was left to Tapene to negotiate the Flames defence and put the ball through the hoop.

The quietly spoken youngster delivered. Netting 25 of her 32 attempts, she moved well and even claimed a handful on intercepts which was impressive considering she is 12cm shorter than Davu.

The win has extended the Force's life in the competition by another week at least. They will now travel to Invercargill to face the Sting on Friday, a team they lost to in round four 52-48 after collapsing in the final quarter.

Before then Force coach Yvonne Willering said she would be looking to inject some energy into her team. She felt her side looked tired in yesterday's match, which could be the result of coming off a hard-fought win against the Magic the previous weekend.

"That is something we are going to have to look at this week," she said. "We strayed from the game plan a bit."

The Flames made the better start, pushing out to a five-goal lead early in the game. The Force's main problem was getting the ball to their shooters.

The opening quarter was marred by injury breaks, three in two minutes at one point, which adds weight to Netball New Zealand's desire to clamp down on them as they have proposed to the international body.

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Trailing their opponents by two at the first quarter, the Force levelled the score midway through the second quarter then pushed ahead near the end. Daneka Wipiiti, who replaced shooter Catherin Latu at the first break, made a shaky start but did improve as the match progressed.

The Force's throughout defence was a problem for the Flames and as a result they coughed up plenty of ball.

Both sides turned over a lot of ball in the match, much of which was the result of bad passing as opposed to pressure from their opponents.

Ahead 30-24 at three-quarter time, the Force surged further ahead early in the quarter only to let the Flames come frighteningly close in the final five minutes.

Flames goal attack Jade Topia, who was the star of the Flames upset win over the Sting last weekend, had a quieter game, possibly the result of continuous pressure from her opponent, Silver Fern Leana de Bruin.

However, she did manage to net 22 of her 30 shots which, combined with Shelley Norris' 17 from 20, gave the side a 78 per cent shooting record. The Force ended the match with 72 per cent, netting 42 of their 58 attempts.

Semifinals

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 61
Southern Sting 51

Northern Force 42
Canterbury Flames 39

* The Magic advance straight to the final on June 30. The Sting face the Force in Invercargill on Friday night to decide the other finalist.