Netball: Fever hold off Magic

Magic's Head Coach Julie Fitzgerald talks to the team during a timeout. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

The in-form West Coast Fever have continued their unbeaten ANZ Championship run after holding off a late final quarter charge by the Magic in Perth today.

Down by up to 11 goals late in the third quarter, the youthful Waikato-Bay of Plenty side produced a stirring late quarter comeback to close within three goals of the homeside with a couple of minutes left on the clock before the Fever pulled away to claim a 54-49 win.

But the Magic's late heroics could not gloss over an erratic showing over the first three quarters, with the impressive Fever side doing a good job of forcing the visitors into errors as they defended the Challenge Trophy for the fifth successive time.

The Fever couldn't have asked for a better start, the home team getting away to a flyer when scoring the first six goals of the match as Magic shooters Jo Harten and Ellen Halpenny could not convert their early opportunities. Playing with pace and accuracy, the Fever had few problems getting the ball goal-bound and holding the early dominance with an almost flawless opening.

Conversely, Magic's opening was peppered with turnovers, a lack of accuracy leaving them scoreless for five minutes. The home team's relentless midcourt pressure, where Shae Brown was a shining light, and their well-crafted execution on attack left the visitors with few answers and unable to stall the momentum.

With everything going their way it was the Fever who skipped into the first break with a handy 16-9 lead.

In an effort to repair some of the damage, Malia Paseka replaced Halpenny at goal attack for the Magic on the resumption. One of four 19-year-olds in the visitor's line-up, the athletic Paseka added immediate impact with her slick movement and aerial ability.

The Magic rattled in the first four goals on the restart which coincided with a lift in the visitor's defensive efforts. The midcourt was effective in halting Fever's momentum on attack while Leana de Bruin and Kristiana Manu'a turned up the heat on shooters Bassett and Natalie Medhurst.

Both Bassett and Magic's Jo Harten were a little shaky on the shot at times before Harten regained her poise to post her 1500th goal in the competition as the visitors closed to within four.

However, as they have done all season, Fever showed their composure to weather the storm and regain the advantage with a decisive burst of their own. The Magic continued to waste opportunities, a lack of precision feeding the circle helping Fever retain control of the match with a 27-21 lead at the main break.

Despite the loss of defender April Letton with a rolled ankle during the third quarter, the Fever remained undeterred, performing like a well-oiled machine to stretch out their lead.

The playmaking skills of Medhurst were prominent on the back of a standout game from wing attack Khao Watts as the pair controlled proceedings on attack. The Magic had their moments but inconsistency of performance continued to blight any hopes of a realistic comeback.

Veteran defender de Bruin remained a top performer for the visitors and Harten converted most opportunities that came her way as her efforts lifted throughout, but the visitors' threw away too much possession against the well-performed Fever who were well placed when leading 44-35 at the last break.

In today's other transtasman league match-ups, the Tactix take on the Vixens in Melbourne, while the Mystics host the Queensland Firebirds.