Fever Prevented by Swift Recovery

The NSW Swifts left it late, but did enough for a 58-47 win over West Coast Fever at Perth Arena last Monday.

The title contenders had to chip away at the home team, who put on a superb defensive performance for the first three quarters but couldn’t seal the deal against the polished Swifts side.

The runaway victory has leapfrogged the Swifts into third spot on the ANZ Championship ladder, and leaves all four top teams on equal points.

But the Fever could take plenty of heart from much of their gutsy effort out on court in front of over 5,000 fans at the Perth Arena. Their outgoing coach Norma Plummer had asked her players to lift their performance for themselves – not for her – and they started with confidence, scoring the first three goals. The Swifts had to toil hard to work the ball through court to their shooters to finally open their account after four minutes.

The Fever was rewarded for their patience on attack building up a four-goal lead. Their shooters came under intense scrutiny from Swifts defenders Sonia Mkoloma and Sharni Layton, but the insight of WAIS athlete Natalie Medhurst came to the fore, skilfully setting up her shooting partner and fellow Commonwealth Games selected WAIS athlete, Caitlin Bassett.

Although the Swifts crept back to within one, it was the Fever who had control at the first break, up 13-11.

After experimenting with Kim Green at wing attack and Sarah Wall at centre for the first quarter, Swifts coach Rob Wright switched back his faithful midcourters, and the visitors levelled the scores soon after the second stanza got underway.

But the Fever spiked again; Shae Bolton (WAIS) rallying the defence, and Medhurst leading by example upfront to shoot the home team out to lead of seven.

With just a few minutes remaining in the half, both coaches rang the changes: the Fever switching midcourters Ingrid Colyer (WAIS) and Khao Watts, and the Swifts still tinkering with their midcourt by bringing April Letton on at wing defence. But the Fever had already established supremacy which they took to the dressing rooms 29-24 ahead at halftime.

The Swifts returned to the court with a new-found determination to let the ball go with certainty, and it paid off immediately, evening-out the scores again. By tightening the screws on defence, the Swifts managed to keep Medhurst and Bassett in check, but still couldn’t shake the Fever off.

It wasn’t until the final seconds of the penultimate quarter, and two consecutive goals from a revitalised Susan Pratley, that the Swifts snatched the lead, 40-39.

Fever looked to Chelsea Pitman to bring a fresh set of legs into their attack. But the Swifts had finally found their momentum, and began to play like the championship contenders that they have promised to be in 2014.

Pratley and Caitlin Thwaites were difficult to contain in the shooting zone once their self-confidence was raised, well supported by another solid effort from Kim Green, even though she was unwell throughout the game.

-ANZChampionship