A late fightback secured the win that secured top spot for the Giants in the 14th and final round of the competition,while the Swifts clinched second spot on the table after beating Sunshine Coast Lightning 69-64 earlier in the day.
“We are just so elated to get that win,finishing at the top of the table and playing for a place in the finals next week,” the Giants’ Jo Harten said.
The Giants found their rhythm early but struggled to contain the Fever’s in-form shooter,Jhaniele Fowler . The Jamaican was perfect in front of the net in the first quarter and helped West Coast to a 25-19 lead at the first break.
The Fever’s attack remained ruthless in the second quarter but the Giants launched a brave fightback to pull themselves back into the contest. A flurry of late super shots from Harten and another from Sophie Dwyer saw them put their noses in front at half-time with a one-point lead.
Maddie Hay and Jamie-Lee Price exerted their authority through the mid-court in the third quarter as the Giants built on their strong finish before half-time. Shooters Harten and Dwyer remained unforgiving and helped the Giants to extend their lead to four points by the final break.
A frantic finale saw the Fever regain the lead through Fowler with five minutes to go. However,the Giants regained composure and did just enough to tilt momentum in their favour before the final buzzer and seal the two-point win.
Meanwhile,the Swifts sent out a warning for next week’s clash with a commanding win over the Lightning. Their dominance began early,scoring the first six goals of the match and shooters Sam Wallace and Helen Housby enjoying a perfect conversion rate in the opening quarter.
At the other end,the Swifts’ aggressive defence stifled Sunshine Coast. Sarah Klau picked up a handful of vital rebounds and interceptions to heap frustration on the Lightning,while the Swift’s shooters remained clinical. Wallace finished the half with a flawless record as the Swifts held a 40-29 lead at half-time.
Maddy Proud enjoyed one of her best games of the season,pulling the strings for the Swifts through the mid-court as they showed no signs of slowing down in the second half.
Sunshine Coast’s defence stepped up in the third quarter and they began to frustrate their Swifts. However,they could only trim the gap to 10 points at the final break.
Two super shots from Cara Koenan and another from Binnian Hunt gave the Lightning a glimmer of hope in the last quarter but in the end,the Swifts were comfortable five-point winners.
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