A BIG third quarter performance from the Lightning saw them notch up their seventh win of the season while the Fever will be left rueing their missed opportunities. Last time they met goal keeper Courtney Bruce missed the clash with injury, but her presence this time around was not enough to change the result of this Round 9 match up, going down by eight goals.

It was a relatively close start with only one goal separating them at quarter time. It was a battle of the goal shooters with both showcasing their dominance to post. Jhaniele Fowler was cool, calm and composed under the ring for Fever sitting at 100 per cent with 13 goals while up the other end Peace Proscovia hit the scoreboard with 10 goals from 11 attempts. But the main difference proved to be the accuracy and workload of the goal attacks with Lightning goaler Steph Wood finding the net with ease with seven from seven while Kaylia Stanton only managed three from six at 50 per cent. The West Coast Fever donned a different defensive combination with Shannon Eagland getting the start in goal defence and Bruce in keeper. The two worked well together clogging up space and using their feet to get around the body of their opponent, applying good physical pressure but drawing plenty of attention from the umpire given their physical nature. But it was physical up both ends with Lightning defenders Karla Pretorius and Phumza Maweni working overtime on Fowler and making her work for each and every ball. Pretorius contested every pass and attacked the hands while using her speedy footwork to get around the body cleanly and cleverly, picking up three gains and one intercept to take a one goal lead into quarter time.

It was a slow grind with neither side able to surge ahead of the other. The shooting percentage only increased in the second term for the Lightning with both Proscovia and Wood sitting at 100 per cent, highlighting their dominance and ability to capitalise under the post. Their rotation through the circle and differing game styles allowed them to work well together and pose a dominant threat throughout the match. Sunshine Coast wing attack Laura Scherian did a wealth of work in the attacking third, feeding the ball seamlessly into the circle and using her speed to zip around the court. With the defence end exposed, Fever coach Stacey Marinkovich threw the bibs around bringing former England international Stacey Francis onto the court in goal defence to apply more hands over pressure and inject some speed into the game. Kaylia Stanton upped the ante in the goal circle, driving hard and showcasing her high release shot to convert six of her seven attempts while also coming out hard at the centre pass with seven receives. Wing attack Ingrid Colyer lifted her load in attack, feeding the ball into the circle with ease and control with four goal assists and a deflection to her name. Even though Fever picked up the intensity they were unable to snatch the bonus point with the Lightning hanging tough and collecting their second of the game.

Only down by two goals the West Coast Fever were well and truly still in the hunt but the Lightning kicked it up a gear piling on 18 goals to 11. Their ball movement and speed in transition poked holes in the Fever defence who were unable to restrict the ease in which Scherian and Laura Langman hit the goal circle. Langman took complete ownership in the third term showcasing both her defensive and offensive ability with three gains and three intercepts while racking up the feeds with nine for the quarter. With Fever struggling to deliver the ball into the circle, Alice Teague-Neeld made her way from the bench into wing attack but failed to make an impact only managing one goal assist in her 10 minutes on court. Even though the Lightning were on top of the Fever right across the board, Francis and Bruce won back enough turnover ball to propel West Coast forward.

With 15 minutes left to play the Lightning stuck to their structures and worked the ball around to maintain their lead. Teague-Neeld moved into the goal circle while Jess Anstiss moved from wing defence into centre in hope to provide a spark and more defensive pressure through the midcourt. Anstiss controlled the midcourt for Fever using her speed and clever ball movement to feed into the shooters with 11 feeds and two pickups. Francis switched from goal defence to wing defence while Eagland re-entered the game in goal defence. But the changes made little impact with the Lightning riding the wave and pushing ahead. Madeline McAuliffe got hands to ball credit to her three-foot marking and nullified the influence of Verity Charles around the circle edge to keep her to just three goal assists for the quarter. Even though the Fever won their first bonus point of the game the Lightning were in full control.

STARTING LINE-UP:

Sunshine Coast Lightning:

GS |Peace Proscovia
GA |Steph Wood
WA |Laura Scherian
C |Laura Langman
WD |Madeline McAuliffe
GD |Karla Pretorius
GK |Phumza Maweni

West Coast Fever:

GS |Jhaniele Fowler
GA |Kaylia Stanton
WA |Ingrid Colyer
C |Verity Charles
WD |Jess Anstiss
GD |Shannon Eagland
GK |Courtney Bruce