Life has not got any easier for WBOP Magic after they were outclassed 78-59 by Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel in the opening Super Sunday clash in Auckland today.
Pushed closely in their last outing against SKYCITY Mystics, there were no such problems for the southerners today in continuing their unbeaten run through the season with an accomplished showing.
It was a different story for a forlorn Magic, who posted a fifth loss from their last six matches and after a promising first half of the season, now face an uphill battle to make the top-three Finals Series with just two rounds remaining.
Under the most pressure, Magic kept pace in the opening exchanges before fading in the face of increasingly intense scrutiny from the Steel.
Both teams turned the ball over early on but Magic were guilty of squandering too many opportunities, the unbeaten Steel needing no second invitation to punish anything errant from their opponents.
Impressing with their quick accurate play through court, the Steel overshadowed their opponent’s response on attack, the Magic struggling to find their flow to the shooters.
Hard-working defenders Casey Kopua and Kelly Jury helped the Magic stay in touch but their efforts often went unrewarded as the Steel pushed out to an 18-13 lead at the first break.
Unflustered and unhurried, the Steel turned up the heat on the resumption, the Magic getting more ragged by the minute.
The southerners ease of progress through court was mirrored on the scoreboard which was in complete contrast to the Magic’s struggles on attack where they were forced to work overtime and take many more passes to achieve any momentum.
With the Steel moving the ball to shooting machine Jhaniele Fowler-Reid at a rapid rate of knots and the defensive pairing of Jane Watson and Te Huinga Selby-Rickit impressing at the other end, the southerners pushed into a position of control.
Magic shooter Lenize Potgieter hadn’t missed a shot by halftime but her influence was limited as the Steel took a handy 37-28 lead into the main break.
Scoring the first four goals of the third stanza and reducing the deficit to five provided a glimmer of hope for the Magic but it proved short-lived. The Steel’s response was decisive and relentless.
On the back of strong driving play from centre Shannon Francois, the Steel extended their lead with a high-scoring 20 goals for the quarter.
In danger of unravelling, the Magic’s intensity and accuracy fell away, the attack line unable to withstand the constant pressure from a dominant Steel who powered into the last break with a 57-42 lead.
Official Result and Stats:
Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel 78 def WBOP Magic 59
Champion Data Match Centre: click here
Shooting Stats – Steel:
Fowler-Reid: 60/66 @ 91%
Selby-Rickit: 18/23 @ 78%
Shooting Stats – Magic:
Potgieter: 34/38 @ 89%
Falkner: 25/33 @ 76%
MVP: Shannon Francois (Steel)