Netball: Magic put the Sting under their spell

By RICHARD BOOCK

Some keen analytical work paved the way for the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic's history-making journey into the deep south yesterday.

The Magic boosted their chances of scoring a home Coca-Cola Cup semifinal when they stunned defending champions Sting 46-44 in Invercargill, the first time in national league history the southerners have been beaten in their own backyard.

In front of a capacity Stadium Southland crowd which went from roof-raising hysteria to absolute silence at the final whistle, the Magic gradually unravelled the secret behind the Sting's long-running ascendancy after executing what proved to be a match-winning game plan.

The upset result leaves the Magic in second-equal place and with a strong chance of making the playoffs, although the topsy-turvy nature of the competition means they could still miss out if they lost their final round-robin match on Saturday against the Shakers.

Another enthralling round yesterday has left the playoff race open to any of the top five sides, of which only the Canterbury Flames can be assured of qualifying.

The Flames beat the Western Flyers 62-54 in Christchurch yesterday to reclaim pole position in the championship race, one point clear of the Magic and the North Shore-based Force, who quickly bounced back from Friday's loss with a strong 64-52 win at home over the Shakers.

The Sting are floundering in fourth place with 22 points after suffering their second loss of the competition and will need to beat the Flames on Saturday to have any chance of hosting a semi at home.

For all that, perhaps the worst-placed of the playoff contenders are the Shakers, who were slowly but surely out-pointed by the Force yesterday, and now have to take maximum points off the Magic in Hamilton on Saturday to make the final four.

The Shakers managed to share the opening quarter 14-14 and were ahead 32-30 at halftime, before the Force - with Tania Dalton shooting brilliantly - roared back into contention, taking the third quarter by seven and the third by five.

In the other two matches of the round yesterday, the Flames scored a similarly emphatic win over the Flyers at Christchurch after leading 34-27 at halftime, and 49-39 at the three-quarter mark, and the Otago Rebels finally had something to celebrate when they knocked over the Cometz 46-36 in Dunedin, to register their first win of the championship.

Most of the drama, however, was in Invercargill, where the Magic played an intelligent game against the Sting and, after making a flying start, hung on to a slender lead.

In front by six at one stage, the Magic's lead was cut to 15-12 at the first quarter and 25-24 at halftime, but they managed to keep their noses in front through the second half, sharing the third quarter 11-11 and then winning the last 10-9.

Assistant coach Noeline Taurua said afterwards that the plan had revolved around the manner in which her side approached the Sting's two most influential players, defender Bernice Mene and shooter Donna Loffhagen.

"The idea had been to steer clear of Bernice and attack from the other side because she's so strong, and to starve Donna as much we could, forcing Janine Topia to shoot more than she usually does."

The ruse paid off handsomely, with Loffhagen restricted to playing around the top of the circle, and Topia proving slightly less threatening.

"It's a great idea in theory, but it's all hot air unless the players go out there and apply it, and that's what happened today - they played to the game plan and reaped the rewards," Taurua said.

"The only time we started to struggle was when we deviated from the plan and lost concentration, otherwise everything went pretty much how we were hoping ...

"When it comes to winning in that sort of way, it's all about team-work and combination."

In two big matches this weekend, the Magic host the Shakers and the Flames host the Sting, while in the lower end of the table, the Flyers square off against the Cometz and the Rebels travel north to play the Diamonds.