Magic 50 Steel 42
Just a few weeks ago it looked as though the wheels had fallen off the Magic's transtasman league campaign.
But after righting their course last week against Adelaide Thunderbirds, the Waikato/Bay of Plenty side's late charge at the title gained further traction last night, toppling the Southern Steel in the ANZ Championship minor semifinal in Auckland.
The Magic produced a composed and steady performance, absorbing a number of strong comebacks from the Steel to record a convincing win.
The sole New Zealand transtasman survivors now face a sudden-death match with the shellshocked NSW Swifts in Newcastle on Sunday, after the title favourites crashed to an unexpected 52-38 defeat to the Adelaide Thunderbirds over the weekend.
The preliminary final was as far as the Magic got last season and coach Noeline Taurua was delighted her side have at least matched their 2009 efforts after enduring harsh criticism in the lead-up to the play-offs on the back of a string of poor performances.
"Everyone put us out and here we are in the same position as we were last year, so we're happy," said Taurua.
Although the Swifts were a 17-goal better side than the Magic when the two sides last met back in round 13, the Waikato side remain confident they are strong chance to make the grand final.
"I think when you get to the semis the slate gets wiped clean and the intensity picks up," said captain Laura Langman.
"We won't be going over there to come second."
The Magic took the same determined approach in to last night's match, piling the early pressure on the Steel.
The last time the two sides met the Steel looked a much better side across the court and pulled off a surprise 52-47 win in Invercargill.
That was the beginning of a dire three-game losing streak for the Waikato side, who managed to pull themselves out of their form rut only in last week's final round clash against the Thunderbirds.
The Magic had all the early running last night with their defensive strategy of pressuring the Steel's two key play-makers, Liana Barrett-Chase and Megan Dehn, paying rich dividends in the opening spell.
Dehn, the captain of the Southern side, looked particularly shaky early on, displaying a frustrating unwillingness to go to the post, and losing possession with a number flimsy passes.
The experienced Magic side meanwhile looked composed and confident on attack, making the most of the sterling defensive efforts to take a 16-8 lead at the first break.
The change of ends sparked a resurgence from the Steel, with Dehn and Daneka Wipiiti more comfortable under New Zealand umpire Mandy Nottingham, who gave the defenders few liberties.
The Steel also brought more intensity to their defence in the second period as they sought to quickly reduce their daunting deficit.
The southerners managed to peg back the Magic's lead to just one goal mid-way through the period. But a tactical injury time out allowed the Magic to re-group and re-focus their defensive efforts with Jodi Brown and Frances Solia working overtime to hassle and harry the opposition.
By halftime the Magic had pushed their lead back out to 24-21.
With a definite pattern of a scoring end emerging, it was a surprise when the Steel levelled the score at 26-all early in the third period, and then got their noses in front for the first time in the match.
The introduction of rookie shooter Julianna Naoupu in place of Wipiiti, who shot at just 64 per cent in the first half, had a telling effect, opening up the Steel's attack end with her greater mobility.
But again the Magic, lead by their cool heads of Laura Langman and Casey Williams, rallied strongly, forcing the typically safe and steady Steel attack in to some absolutely criminal errors.
The late push gave the Magic a handy 38-32 lead heading in to the final spell, which they steadily built on, repelling the Steel's desperate late efforts.
