New Zealand still have three live chances of making the transtasman league play-offs after the Southern Steel pulled off a big upset, beating the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic 52-47 in Invercargill last night.
From the moment the Steel stepped out on their home court to 3000-strong chorus of "steal it",you could sense a boilover was in the air.
Still reeling from the loss of star import Peta Scholz, the Magic struggled in defence as the Steel attack dictated the pace of the game, while down the other end Leana de Bruin and Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit cut off the Magic shooters.
The win, which boosts the Steel to fourth on the ladder, was just the shot in the arm they needed, it could be the beginning of a slippery slope for the Magic, who face three tough Australian sides over the next four rounds, beginning with the wounded Firebirds in Rotorua next Monday.
Since losing Scholz to a knee injury two weeks ago, the Magic have been forced to bed down new combinations in their defensive end, Casey Williams and Kahurangi Waititi stepping up. Where the Tactix failed last weekend, the Steel exposed a number of areas of weakness in the make-do Magic defence.
Waititi struggled to stem the flow of ball to the Steel's tall target at the back, Daneka Wipiiti, while Williams' had little influence on the game, picking up just one intercept and one deflection all night. She did not claim a single rebound in the game. The Magic's failure to deliver defensively will concern coach Noeline Taurua as they eye up one of the most dangerous attacks in the league - the Firebirds - next week.
