Valiant Vixens 57, Firebirds 53
A stirring fightback kept the Melbourne Vixens unbeaten after they repelled the Queensland Firebirds 57-53 in ninth round ANZ Championship action in Melbourne
It was the second successive week of heartbreak for the Firebirds, who dominated the Vixens for much of the match. But experience eventually won the day as the Vixens came from behind in a dominant last quarter to stamp their authority and keep their perfect record intact.
The Vixens were forced to go into the match without well-performed defender Bianca Chatifield, givingEngland
The Firebirds made a blazing start, enjoying the bulk of possession as they shot out to an early 6-0 lead. With a plentiful supply of ball, the competition’s tallest shooter Romelda Aiken had little trouble under the hoop as the visitor’s maintained their buffer through the quarter.
The Vixens struggled to get the ball to shooters Caitlin Thwaites and Sharelle McMahon, who were kept under wraps by some imposing defending from Peta Stephens and Laura Geitz. Missed shots and deflections added to the Firebirds ball supply. A late rally enable the Vixens to chip back some of the deficit but it was the Firebirds who made the most of their positive start to lead 13-10 at the first break.
A reshuffled line-up prompted a lift in intensity from the Vixens on the resumption with Thwaites and McMahon combining more effectively in the goal circle.
Solid defending resulted in more turnover ball for the home team but they were still troubled by a lack of accuracy in their finishing. Threatening on a number of occasions to even up the ledger, wayward passing gifted the ball back to the Firebirds as Vixens coach Julie Hoornweg lamented the ``fairly ordinary’’ play from her team.
Aiken experienced a few shooting wobbles under the hoop but the Firebirds’ ability to retrieve the ball through defensive intercepts ensured the visitors’ maintained their edge as they went into half-time leading 27-23.
Fresh legs at goal attack and goal defence in the form of Alissa Castrisos coming on for Janelle Lawson, and Demelza McCloud for Stephens did little to detract from the Firebirds. As errors continued to haunt the Vixens, the Firebirds exerted the early quarter dominance to increase their lead.
It wasn’t always pretty as play swung both ways on the back of errors but it was the Vixens who finished the quarter the stronger.
It was the second successive week of heartbreak for the Firebirds, who dominated the Vixens for much of the match. But experience eventually won the day as the Vixens came from behind in a dominant last quarter to stamp their authority and keep their perfect record intact.
The Vixens were forced to go into the match without well-performed defender Bianca Chatifield, giving
The Firebirds made a blazing start, enjoying the bulk of possession as they shot out to an early 6-0 lead. With a plentiful supply of ball, the competition’s tallest shooter Romelda Aiken had little trouble under the hoop as the visitor’s maintained their buffer through the quarter.
The Vixens struggled to get the ball to shooters Caitlin Thwaites and Sharelle McMahon, who were kept under wraps by some imposing defending from Peta Stephens and Laura Geitz. Missed shots and deflections added to the Firebirds ball supply. A late rally enable the Vixens to chip back some of the deficit but it was the Firebirds who made the most of their positive start to lead 13-10 at the first break.
A reshuffled line-up prompted a lift in intensity from the Vixens on the resumption with Thwaites and McMahon combining more effectively in the goal circle.
Solid defending resulted in more turnover ball for the home team but they were still troubled by a lack of accuracy in their finishing. Threatening on a number of occasions to even up the ledger, wayward passing gifted the ball back to the Firebirds as Vixens coach Julie Hoornweg lamented the ``fairly ordinary’’ play from her team.
Aiken experienced a few shooting wobbles under the hoop but the Firebirds’ ability to retrieve the ball through defensive intercepts ensured the visitors’ maintained their edge as they went into half-time leading 27-23.
Fresh legs at goal attack and goal defence in the form of Alissa Castrisos coming on for Janelle Lawson, and Demelza McCloud for Stephens did little to detract from the Firebirds. As errors continued to haunt the Vixens, the Firebirds exerted the early quarter dominance to increase their lead.
It wasn’t always pretty as play swung both ways on the back of errors but it was the Vixens who finished the quarter the stronger.
Industrious play from midcourters Renae Hallinan and Natasha Chokljat and some individual brilliance from McMahon enabled the Vixens to claw back the deficit. The Firebirds retained their lead 43-41 at the last break but the Vixens` resurgence promised a finely balanced last quarter.
The Vixens hit the lead for the first time with 10 minutes to go as the Firebirds faltered under pressure. The visitors struggled to make the transfer from defence to attack allowing the Vixens to pounce on anything loose and create extra scoring opportunities.
The class of the Vixens came to the fore in the closing minutes, producing the necessary lift as they held onto their unblemished record.
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Q1
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Firebirds 13, Vixens 10
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Q2
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Firebirds 27, Vixens 23 (14-13 to Firebirds)
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Q3
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Firebirds 43, Vixens 41 (18-16 to Vixens)
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Q4
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Vixens 57, Firebirds 53 (16-10 to Vixens)
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| Shooting Stats | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | TOTAL (%) |
| MELBOURNE VIXENS | |||||
| Caitlin Thwaites | 4/6 | 7/9 | 9/10 | 8/10 | 28/35 (80%) |
| Sharelle McMahon | 6/7 | 6/6 | 9/9 | 8/9 | 29/31 (94%) |
| QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS | |||||
| Romelda Aiken | 9/11 | 11/17 | 10/14 | 9/10 | 39/52 (75%) |
| Janelle Lawson | 4/5 | 3/5 | 7/10 (70%) | ||
| Alissa Castrisos | 6/6 | 1/2 | 7/8 (88%) | ||
