Fever have jumped back into the top four after they wiped the Magpies off the court with a 71-57 win.
Fever won the game at both ends of the court with goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler scoring 62 of the club’s 71 goals at 92.5% accuracy. Goal keeper and Captain Courtney Bruce led the defence with eight deflections, six intercepts and three rebounds at crucial times of the game, earning player of the match honours.
Fever coach Stacey Marinkovich praised her Captain’s efforts, “Courtney is always used to playing against the big’s and tall’s and she trains against Jhaniele every day, so she’s really ready and for us it’s the work what she does out the front that gives us the greatest opportunity out the back”.
Fever went goal for goal with the Magpies in the first quarter before scoring three consecutive goals courtesy of the defensive pressure from Bruce to take a 17-14 lead.
Fever continued their unrelenting pressure on the ball in the second quarter, with Bruce part of a pivotal moment as she deflected the ball resulting in a Fowler goal at the other end, which continued with Fever piling on seven unanswered goals. Goal attack Alice Teague-Neeld slotted two super shots to increase their lead at the main break, 39-30.
Magpies had no answers for the lethal partnership between centre Verity Charles’ constant on-point feeds (31) to Fowler. The passes were constantly unpredictable, with long high passes, to the short double-play, the ball always landing in Fowler’s hands.
Just when it got close to Magpies attempting a run at the ball, training partner Sunday Aryang rebounded late in the third quarter to allow Fowler to score at the other end with only seconds left. The third quarter yips are a thing of the past and Fever didn’t slow in the last term, winning all four quarters, for the first time this season. The hard work off the court paying off for Fever coach Stacey Marinkovich.
“There was Some real courage and some real intent from the very first whistle to the very last and I think that makes all the difference and it was a much better performance.” Marinkovich said.
Bruce’s job still wasn’t done, after Magpies hit the scoreboard for four unanswered goals early in the last quarter, an intercept by Bruce saw Fever step up their game and Fowler score twice up the other end.
