IN a Battle of the North contest between the Northern Mystics and Northern Stars lived up to the hype with neither side willing to give an inch. Headlined with two towering goal shooters, the game was dictated by their potency with the Mystics coming out on top thanks to a last quarter flurry (51-47). There was a lot on the line for both teams with the Mystics keen to hold onto second spot while the Stars were hoping to jump up the ladder from third.

The Stars seemed to have the ball on a string in the first couple of minutes of the quarter despite a lot of turnover ball from both teams. Wing attack Grace Kara had an immediate impact with a handy deflection along the transverse line while the Stars defenders worked hard to clog up the space in attack for the Mystics goalers. Getting the start in at goal shooter, Grace Nweke did not muck around with the shooting sensation coming out to play despite her sides relatively slow start to the game. The Stars capitalised in the early stages of the match establishing a three-goal lead with Maia Wilson and Jamie Hume showcasing their strong connection with the latter delivering pinpoint precision passes into the goal shooter.

Then something clicked for the Mystics, with Sulu Fitzpatrick and Phoenix Karaka finding their rhythm in the defensive circle and winning back ball to fire it down court and eat into the deficit. With seven minutes left in the quarter the Mystics managed to peg it back to one goal before going one better and evening the scores. A loose ball get from the Mystics allowed them to capitalise and take the lead for the first time in the game with Saviour Tui having a profound influence under the post with her strength. But a heavy bump to the goal attack midway through the quarter forced her to the bench with youngster Filda Vui making her debut. Her connection with Nweke was on song from the minute she took the court with the two spending time together in the Beko League and rotating through the circle with ease. Increased defensive pressure from the Mystics at the top of the circle shut down any avenue into goal for the Stars as they skipped out to a four goal lead at the break.

Starting with the centre pass the Stars worked their way back into the contest with Hume impressing with a clever deflection to then stream down the court. Up and about in attack the Stars nailed five consecutive goals in the early stages of the quarter while the Mystics were wasteful with ball in hand unable to capitalise on their chances. Hume continued to grow with confidence, sinking them from range while the efforts of Kara and Mila Reuelu-Buchanan around circle edge were key to the Stars fightback. Reuelu-Buchanan all but shut down fellow centre Tayla Earle, smothering her in defence and then sprinting down the court to have an impact in the Stars attacking third.

At 17 goals apiece Wilson took control, finding good space on the baseline as Hume kept the Mystics defenders busy with her clever rolls. Despite a scrappy couple of minutes neither side could be torn apart going goal for goal before the Mystics pounced with a huge rebound and centre pass to follow, opening up a two goal lead. Their defensive heroics were quickly answered by Stars goal defence, Kate Burley who used her speed to fly through the midcourt and collect an intercept to once again level the scores. With balls flying over the baseline in attack it was up to the defence to stand up to the challenge with the Mystics making the most of the turnover ball to take a one goal lead into halftime.

In hope to find a spark and give themselves a competitive edge the Mystics threw the bibs around with Fitzpatrick and Karaka switching between goal keeper and goal defence while Tui re-entered the game after her knock. With Kara having an influence for the Stars the injection of Emily Burgess paid dividends with the wing defence shadowing Kara’s every step and causing chaos. The changes seemed to pay off as the Mystics opened up a three goal lead while Peta Toeava came alive in the third swinging the ball across the court with great accuracy and delivering into Nweke with ease.

A big win for the Stars defence prompted them to go on a three goal shooting spree to once again draw level. The Stars increased their pressure across the court while the Mystics needed more defensive pressure from their attackers to win ball back. Hume continued to star having a huge influence in the goal circle and sneaking closer to the post at every occasion. A call against Earle gifted the Stars a chance to propel down the court with Wilson showcasing all her attributes to take the lead. The shooter to shooter interplay for the Stars paid dividends with the two flicking the ball around with confidence. The Mystics were doing their most damage when they were quick in attack not giving Storm Purvis or Burley a chance to get ball to hands. But the Stars held onto a one goal buffer to head into three quarter time up.

The Mystics reverted to their original defensive combo with the two looking more composed in their usual positions. The game continued as goal for goal with both teams oozing intensity across the court. Purvis looked to push the Stars ahead with a clever intercept sending the ball streaming down court. Suddenly they were out to a three goal lead but it did not last long with Mystics pressing hard thanks to Nweke under the post and a huge intercept from Fitzpatrick. With Burgess nullifying Kara around circle edge the Stars struggled to get ball into Wilson allowing the Mystics to claim ascendancy in defence and provide opportunities for their goalers to eventually take out a four goal victory.

Nweke was solid under the post once again but down on her accuracy sitting at 80 per cent with 36 goals from 45 attempts. The increased workload from Tui with 10 goals from 11 attempts and Vui slotting five goals from six gave them the upper hand. For the Stars Wilson carried the load once again nailing 36 goals from 40 attempts while Hume plied her trade with 11 goals from 15 attempts. Fitzpatrick was strong in defence with seven gains, one intercept and five deflections. Her efforts were rivalled by Burley who amassed five gains, three intercepts and five deflections. Reuelu-Buchanan impressed for the Stars with 21 goal assists from 41 feeds while Toeava was the main avenue to goal for the Mystics with 22 of her own.

>>> MYSTICS TEAM PAGE

>>> STARS TEAM PAGE

>>> FULL MATCH STATS

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STARTING SEVEN

Northern Mystics:

GS: Grace Nweke
GA: Saviour Tui
WA: Peta Toeava
C: Tayla Earle
WD: Courtney Elliott
GD: Phoenix Karaka
GK: Sulu Fitzpatrick

Northern Stars:

GS: Maia Wilson
GA: Jamie Hume
WA: Grace Kara
C: Mila Reuelu-Buchanan
WD: Fa’amu Ioane
GD: Kate Burley
GK: Storm Purvis