THE preliminary final saw some impressive performances from the Fever especially when it came to their lynchpins down either end of the court while Sunshine Coast Lightning struggled to generate much flow or rhythm across the court, as a couple of star players uncharacteristically coughed up the ball.

It is no surprise that Jhaniele Fowler led the way for goals nailing an impressive 60 from 62 at 97 per cent accuracy. Her efforts were unmatched by the fellow goalers on court with the next closest Steph Wood with 21 from 29 attempts. Of those 21 goals eight of them were super shots as she proved to be the most prolific two-point shooter of the lot. The rotating circle of the Lightning saw Peace Proscovia come on and have an influence in her 25 minutes of court time nailing 16 of her 18 attempts and dragging down two rebounds. Cara Koenen was down on her usual output with 14 goals but finished with an unblemished record at 100 per cent in her 34 minutes of court time. Alice Teague-Neeld did not trouble the scoreboard a whole heap only slotting the 10 goals at a lowly 56 per cent but it was her role as a feeder that stood out finishing with 25 goal assists and no general play turnovers to her name.

In terms of goal assists, player of the match Emma Cosh proved to have a hot hand and ooze confidence leading the way for the Fever with 27 goal assists. Her efforts at the centre pass were also impressive notching up a team-high 23 receives while also collecting a gain. Verity Charles was another key contributor for the Fever amassing 12 goal assists from 27 feeds along with two intercepts however was costly at times registering five general play turnovers. Wood was key for the Lightning not only in the goal circle but so too out the front registering 10 goal assists however coughed up the ball six times while Laura Scherian managed 16 goal assists from her 49 minutes on court. Scherian was strong at the centre pass picking up 21 receives while Laura Langman plied her trade with 15 goal assists from 31 feeds but was ill-disciplined with ball in hand registering an equal team-high six turnovers. Defensively her efforts were also strong collecting a gain and two pickups.

Up the other end of the court it was hard to go past the efforts of Courtney Bruce who adapted to whoever was thrown at her. The Fever captain led the way with an impressive 10 gains, four of them intercepts thanks to her ability to read the play. She also managed three rebounds and six deflections three of them resulting in gains. Partner in crime, Stacey Francis also had a stats stuffing performance amassing three intercepts, four deflections and rebound in an all-round impressive outing. Although Jess Anstiss did not boast the same stat line of her defensive counterparts she showcased her attacking attributes finishing with a goal assist to her name and three pick-ups. For the Lightning Karla Pretorius was the main source of defensive stardom amassing five gains, two of them intercepts. She also collected eight deflections however only two resulted in gains along with two pick-ups. Goal keeper Phumza Maweni struggled to get into the game only registering four deflections with none of them to advantage. In her final game, Jacqui Russell came out with a real pep in her step picking up an intercept while also bursting out of the blocks to collect seven centre pass receives.

Picture: AAP