After their first loss of the season to Colourplus Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic the week before, Vixens resolved to re-exert their strength and control over last year’s champions, while Swifts were desperate to recover some team pride from a disheartening season.

Until the last 15 minutes, there was rarely more than one or two goals between the archrival sides, and it was shaping up to be another nailbiting finish. But when the experienced Vixen heads asserted control in both circles, a potential win slipped from Swifts’ grasp yet again. In the words of exasperated Swifts captain Catherine Cox: “that seems to be the story of our year”.

Vixens captain Bianca Chatfield said she was pleased with the eventual dominance of her side – the win virtually ensuring a place in next month’s finals play-offs - but she acknowledged they had to put in a lot of work to achieve it.

“We need to learn that every quarter you have to put in the hard yards, not relying on the last quarter for the win,” she said. Vixens now play the three New Zealand sides out of finals contention, to complete their round-robin play.

Chatfield, at goal keeper, and fellow circle defender Julie Corletto, had their work cut out for them in the first quarter when the interchange between Swifts goal shoot Cox and goal attack Susan Pratley was razor-sharp; Cox zipping between the defenders to dominate the shooting – scoring all of Swifts’ goals in the first spell.

AIS graduate Samantha May was given a chance to shine at goal keep and kept close tabs on Vixens goal shoot Caitlin Thwaites. But Thwaites kept her cool and didn’t miss a shot for the quarter, fed superbly by goal attack Sharelle McMahon.

In the Swifts’ midcourt, wing attack Vanessa Ware stood up under pressure from her opposite, Vixens’ dogged wing defence Renae Hallinan, showing her fortitude to continue playing after hurting her ankle in a three-way collision.

Vixens held a slim 14-13 lead at the end of the first period, and when both teams returned to the court unchanged, the intensity didn’t alter either. Pratley found her confidence to put up shots of her own, and with spot-on accuracy, to help Swifts to a three-goal lead halfway through the quarter. In response, Corletto went fishing for intercepts with equal success.

McMahon, up against some spirited defence from goal defence Kim Smith, threw herself into every attacking move, sometimes ending up on the floor.  Ratcheting up the tempo was enough to create a Vixens recovery so they once again assumed the lead, 29-28, at half-time.

But Swifts could not be totally shaken as centre Kim Greene mastered the art of placing the ball into safe space for Cox, was strong on the ball and forced the Vixens’ defence to make some errant passes that resulted in crucial turnovers.

With McMahon reluctant to shoot, caught up in a highly-competitive tussle with Smith, Thwaites stayed calm and collected, continuing to post points on the Vixens scoreboard with impressive consistency from mid-circle. She shot 36 from 38 through to the end of the third quarter, when the visitors were 45-43 up.

Such was the tension starting the final quarter, both sets of shooters initially struggled to slot the ball through the hoop. Hallinan made a quick recovery from an ankle roll, to the relief of her Vixens team-mates, who had relied on her unswerving defence through the game.

When McMahon truly stamped her authority on the Swifts’ defenders, and Chatfield and Corletto took ownership of the opposite half-circle, Vixens were finally able to march away with the game. Thwaites finished the night with 90 percent accuracy, putting 47 points on the board, while Pratley ended up the most consistent of Swifts shooters, with 20 from 22 (91 percent).

Pictured: Julie Corletto (Vixens) & Susan Pratley (Swifts) locked in battle in tonight`s match. (PHOTO: Getty Images)