Tactix remain unscathed at pre-season
The Trident Homes Tactix kept their unblemished record intact after a scorching 56-44 win over the Robinhood Stars on day two of the Te Wānanga o Raukawa hosted ANZ Premiership pre-season netball tournament in Ōtaki on Saturday.
The Tactix remain the only unbeaten team after three straight wins while the Stars suffered their second major blowout of the tournament after an equally big loss on day one.
From a narrow two-goal advantage at the first break, the red and blacks continued to inflate their advantage on the scoreboard, going on to clock the biggest score of the tournament to date. The 100-goal total for the match signifying over two goals per minute were scored during the shortened 48-minute matches being played.
With all teams coping with players on managed loads, there continued to be lots of combination and personnel changes throughout Saturday’s action, the Tactix depth allowing the prominent names of Aliyah Dunn, Te Paea Selby-Rickit and Jane Watson to keep the ship on course while Karin Burger and Kimiora Poi were rested.
The constant defensive hustle from Watson and Kate Lloyd and the accuracy of Selby-Rickit and Dunn under the hoop had the Stars hard-pressed for most of the match.
Returning from illness, Stars captain Maia Wilson had a positive outing in her first full match when posting the impressive figures of 33 shots from 37 attempts for the beaten team.
Having played one more game, the MG Mystics sit on three wins and a loss, their match against home side Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse being the match of the tournament to date.
It was a fitting end to the day’s play, the high-quality spectacle, which resulted in a 54-50 win to the Mystics, surpassing the plentiful goal tally of the previous match.
Experience proved decisive in the closing quarter as the Mystics big guns were recalled to action after the Pulse’s young talent had turned the game on its head and threatened to upstage their more fancied rivals.
Riding on the coat-tails of their lively defence trio of Erena Mikaere, Georgia Takarangi (nee Tong) and Claire Kersten, Avis Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic were out of the blocks quickly before being tracked and caught by a fast-finishing Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel.
The Magic made all the play in the opening half and with captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio making her entrance at this point, there were ominous signs for the Steel. But showing their southern grit, they responded with a storming third stanza to erase the halftime deficit and leave the scores all level at three-quarter time.
The Steel clicked up another gear in the fourth to compile a five-goal lead but in an exciting finale, the Magic stormed back to level the scores with 30 seconds left on the clock. It proved ample time for the Steel to post the crucial goal and pocket a 39-38 win.
The Stars rebounded from a disappointing first day to push the Mystics all the way, only to fall short when losing 48-45 to close out the morning’s play on day two.
With near-enough to their strongest line-up, the Mystics got away to a rollicking start while leaving the Stars with a daunting road ahead. But the northern rivalry is always keenly contested and with bragging rights on the line, the Stars provided a strong response to remain well in the contest throughout as the game closed right up.
After two narrow losses, the Pulse had a change of fortune when opening the day’s play with a entertaining 48-44 win over the Steel to notch their first success while it was the first loss for the southerners.
Day two results:
Pulse 48 Steel 44
Mystics 48 Stars 45
Steel 39 Magic 38
Tactix 56 Stars 44
Mystics 54 Pulse 50