KEY POINTS:
Waikato-Bay of Plenty stayed top of the transtasman netball championship standings with a hard-fought 54-50 win over Canterbury Tactix in Christchurch today.
The result gave them 14 points from seven wins to keep them ahead of Australian contenders Queensland Firebirds and Melbourne Vixens who are on 10 points each and have two games in hand.
All three teams have one loss each.
The Magic were made to battle for their win by the Tactix who should have been rewarded by a closer margin than the four-goal loss which keeps them mid-table on eight points.
Demelza Fellowes, Julie Seymour, Phillipa Finch, Bessie Manu and Victoria Finch formed a defensive combination that the Magic found hard to penetrate at times.
Seymour, in particular, had another good game and her move to centre in the final quarter almost paid dividends with four minutes to go when the Tactix drew within one goal at 50-49.
The Magic, coming off a 56-47 win over the Southern Steel in their last outing, looked like they were poised for another sweeping victory when they shot out to a 10-5 lead midway into the first quarter on the back of three intercepts by influential defender Casey Williams.
With goal shoot Irene Van Dyk missing just one from 18 attempts and goal attack Maria Tutaia goaling 10 from 12, the Magic led by as much as six at 23-17 in the second quarter but some loose play and tight defending from the Tactix saw the gap narrow to 27-24 at the breather.
English shooter Rachel Dunn, after a shaky start, sank 17 goals from 19 attempts, with goal attack Anna Thompson getting seven from 12 in the first half.
The closeness of the contest was reflected in the number of attempts both sides made - 61 by Magic and 60 by the Tactix.
In the end, the difference was the accuracy of the Van Dyk-Tutaia combination with Van Dyk making 32 of 33 and Tutaia 22 from 29.
Dunn hit back with 35 from 41 while Thompson scored with 15 from 19.
The Magic had to work hard to get the ball into the circle thanks to Seymour's tight watch over Amigene Metcalfe while Finch was a tough competitor against Laura Langman at centre.
The Magic did not help themselves by going through flat phases where they looked uncertain with their linkages.
However a sharp quarter after the halftime break saw them set the foundation for their win.
They shot out to a 40-33 lead and were six goals up at the end of the quarter at 43-37.
The Tactix staged a comeback in the final quarter and with about four minutes to go, were within one at 49-50.
Tutaia missed a long shot and the Tactix rocketed the ball up court only to see Thompson miss at equalising.
Tutaia calmly netted her next two long range shots to secure the buffer her side needed to see out the game.
Tactix skipper Seymour said it had been a good comeback from her side but rued not nailing their chances.
"It's amazing how in this competition, the last five minutes are so important and you have got to really nail it when you have the ball."
She praised Manu who had not had much court time so far for getting up with a great defensive performance.
Magic skipper Metcalfe said the Tactix had defended well to stop their flow.
The Tactix play the Northern Mystics in their next match while the Magic have a bye.
- NZPA
