Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic have little time to celebrate a breakthrough victory over Northern Mystics last night.
Minds were already turning to the next "huge" hurdle after a hard-fought 48-46 ANZ Championship win against Mystics in Auckland.
While the winning margin may have been small, the win was a giant leap forward for Magic, now muscling in on the top four. A "very happy" coach Noeline Taurua said it would be vital to stay grounded and keep the momentum going ahead of the next big game, against top-of-the-table Adelaide Thunderbirds.
She described the match against Mystics as an epic game and said she was proud of the mental toughness her side showed under huge pressure.
"Everyone contributed to the end product," she said.
However, that game now out of the way, Taurua said her mind was already switching to preparation mode ahead of the Thunderbirds game, to be played in Tauranga on Saturday. Given the quick turn-around, players' individual recovery, preparation and attention to detail would be key to putting on another top performance in round 13, she said.
"The win against Mystics is a big confidence booster for us. The girls fought hard and even though the opposition came back, they never let the full momentum swing ... we're on the right track. We just need to keep doing what's working well for us."
Magic showed themselves to be an unbreakable unit against a Mystics side keen to retain their position on top of the table.
From the opening minutes, the scene was set for a huge battle throughout the court and outstanding defence from both teams meant a lot of hard work on attack to ensure safe passage of the ball.
The in-circle defence of dynamic Magic pairing Casey Williams and Leana de Bruin had Mystics goal shoot Catherine Latu out of the picture for large portions of the game but Maria Tutaia was in sizzling form, putting up shots from wherever in the circle she got the ball.
Magic goal shoot Irene van Dyk also often had to relinquish control to her goal attack but an energetic Julianna Naoupu didn't let her team down.
Up 15-11 after a hard-fought first quarter, Magic maintained the lead despite facing some heavy Mystics artillery, edging out to a 27-22 lead by halftime and up 41-35 at the end of a solid third quarter.
Mystics came storming back in the final quarter, enjoying a run of six consecutive goals early in the final spell to put Magic on notice.
Magic captain Laura Langman described the win as "huge" and said it was a great step up from the week before when her side beat Central Pulse. She put last night's win down to her team's ability to remain composed under pressure but was fully aware there was plenty of hard work to come with Thunderbirds up next.
Recovery and smart, productive training would be key to setting things up for a positive outcome, Langman said.
In other round 12 matches this weekend Thunderbirds thrashed NSW Swifts 62-35 while Melbourne Vixens managed to sneak past West Coast Fever 50-49.
Tonight will see Southern Steel up against Canterbury Tactix while Queensland Firebirds and Pulse have the bye.