Fever Lose Unbeaten Home Record
The West Coast Fever’s unbeaten home record has gone after the Melbourne Vixens inflicted a nine goal (58-49) defeat on their hosts in front of 6,000 fans at Perth Arena.
The Fever was tenacious against a Vixens defence that was tight from the start and cut out much of the space in which Fever players were looking to run.
Coach Norma Plummer said while the experience of the Vixens showed through that was exactly what she was trying to build with her team.
That building program included putting centre Lindal Rohde (WAIS) into the action for her first taste of court time in 2013. Rohde replaced Shae Bolton (WAIS) in the third term, after the starting centre sustained a lower leg injury.
The Fever wasted no time in bringing Andrea Gilmore (WAIS) straight into the starting line-up for today’s clash after she missed the last four games with an ankle injury sustained in Round 1.
Gilmore’s re-emergence into the team came at the expense of athletic midcourt Ashleigh Brazill (WAIS) who injured an ankle in last week’s win over the NSW Swifts.
With No.1 ticket holder Premier Colin Barnett in the crowd, the Fever shot at 100 percent in the first quarter but the Vixens had more attempts and went into the quarter time break with a six-goal buffer, leading 16-10.
Neither team made a change at quarter time as former Fever mid-court star Madison Browne continued to find space to feed her shooters, with the Vixens maintaining control via a five-goal lead at half-time.
With some pinpoint passing and great catches by Fever goal shooter Caitlin Bassett (WAIS) under enormous pressure, the hosts fought their way back into the match after a four-goal un-answered run to bridge the gap in the dying minutes of the second quarter and it was a five-point margin at half-time, 31-26.
Fever made two changes to start the second half, taking Gilmore off, moving Chanel Gomes to wing defence and bringing Josie Janz (WAIS) into goal defence.
The margin was reduced to three in the third before Bolton was replaced by debutant Rohde at centre.
The shift also allowed the Vixens to bring on fresh legs, with Kate Moloney replacing Elissa Macleod at centre and the Vixens led by six at three quarter time, 43-37.
Both teams went for new runners on the wings, with Lisa Millman replacing Verity Simmons (WAIS) for the Fever and Johannah Curran replacing Shannon Eagland for the Vixens to start the fourth quarter.
Midway through the final term Gilmore was brought back on to replace Gomes on the hard-working Browne, while Eboni Beckford-Chambers was moved out to goal defence and Janz into goal keeper.
But while Fever never let up, last year’s grand final runners-up maintained enough control to emerge with their fourth win of the season.
Fever’s next opponent is the Queensland Firebirds who they will face at Brisbane CEC on Sunday, May 5.
– Netball WA