Stars rebound in style with spirited win over Tactix
Playing with plenty of intent and heart, Go Media Stars bounced back from a tough week to claim a thrilling 57-52 win over VIP Frames and Trusses Tactix in Auckland on Sunday.
With their noses in front through each of the quarter breaks and up by six heading down the home straight, the Stars withstood a late rally from the Tactix before settling themselves in the closing minutes to seal a courageous win.
The Tactix finally found their two-point radar in the final five minutes with Te Paea Selby-Rickit slotting two and Martina Salmon one super shots to reduce the margin to just two, and leaving the match on a knife-edge with under two minutes to go.
All the Stars players shone on a special evening, none more so than rangy goal defence Liliviwa Tokaduadua who snapped up five interceptions and three deflections as the home side held the experienced Tactix at arms-length.
After a week of adversity following the temporary loss of defender Kate Burley and midcourter Greer Sinclair for the season, the Stars introduced new faces for the Round 2 match-up.
Replacement player Tori Kolose got the nod at wing attack for the home side with Tokaduadua starting at goal defence. With a settled line-up at their disposal, Salmon won out in the race for the Tactix goal shoot bib.
The Stars were unable to match the Tactix slick start, the southerners producing a seamless through-court transition with captain Erikana Pedersen and Te Paea Selby-Rickit the conductors on attack.
Settling into their new on-court personnel, the Stars reeled in several early surges from the Tactix, holding their own to trim the deficit, two closing two-point shots nudging the home side into a 15-14 lead at the first break.
The arm-wrestle continued on the resumption with Stars midcourter Mila Reuelu-Buchanan, in her 100th national league match, a busy presence on attack and defence.
The Tactix applied big defensive pressure through the middle of the court, forcing the Stars into multiple phases of play but showing plenty of patience, the home side retained possession well, finding the openings and finishing well.
Pedersen remained a calm presence for the visitors but extra hustle from Stars defenders Tokaduadua and Remi Kamo resulted in turnovers for the home side who continued to play with tenacious spirit.
With the Tactix conservative on their two-point attempts, Monica Falkner added the icing late in the piece with a double point shot late in the piece to hand the Stars a 28-24 lead at the main break.
Needing to break the impasse, the Tactix reshuffled their defence line with Australian import Charli Fidler moving into goalkeeper, Jane Watson shifting up to goal defence and Karin Burger along to wing defence.
Pederesen was also forced off with an ankle injury, replaced by Parris Petera as the third 15-minute instalment produced a thrilling quarter of netball.
Stars foundation player Kayla Johnson, in as injury cover, also got on for some minutes at wing defence.
The home side continued to produce great ball movement through court, unafraid to push the long ball through while defenders Tokaduadua and Kamo hustled and bustled their opposites into error.
Out of sorts, the Tactix threw everything at the Stars but under pressure, lost their timing and precision while the Stars grew in confidence, revelling in the atmosphere while delivering an impressive brand of netball.
While the Tactix remained luckless on the two-point shot, it was a different story for the home side, one each to Falkner and Bell propelling the Stars into a 44-38 lead at the last break.