THE Queensland derby was just as good as expected, with the Queensland Firebirds coming out strong but unable to weather the Sunshine Coast Lightning storm, falling short by eight goals (75-67) in Karla Pretorius’ 100th national game.

It was a hard and fast start from the Firebirds, with the defensive connections forcing early errors and clogged space while the confidence out the front was huge. But sure enough, Pretorius was in everything early, testing Romelda Aiken’s hands and getting hands to ball thanks to Phumza Maweni’s ability to force Aiken high. But up the other end Kim Jenner and Tara Hinchliffe would not be outdone, strong as ever forcing turnovers. Peace Proscovia was a huge target out the front for the Lightning but did not receive any favours from Cara Koenen out the front, with the duo struggling to set up plays in attack and seeing Steph Wood take the court to inject some extra speed and agility. Wood’s impact was immediate as was her connection with Laura Langman, with the duo combining well as the Lightning inched back the margin. The improved connection out the front was not enough though, with the Lightning trailing by seven goals at the first change.

Both sides had some issues getting on the board early in the second, with the defensive effort continuing to dominate for both sides. The improved movement from the Lightning frontline was paying off although Lara Dunkley’s stellar few rounds continued with a great start once more on circle edge for the Firebirds making it hard to split the two sides. A five goal buffer was enough to maintain the Firebirds momentum but the Lightning’s fight back had only just begun with Koenen at the post using her body well on Hinchliffe to limit the goal keeper’s chances for the loose ball. What had been a seven goal game at the first break turned into just two goals as the Lightning continued to fire, both in defence and offence. Tippah Dwan had a huge start but was quiet for much of the second credit to Pretorius’ ability to keep the youngster away from easy possession. Jemma Mi Mi was injected to add some speed in attack and while she did not find a heap of ball, when she did it allowed Dwan to find pockets of space putting up two straight super shots to ensure the Firebirds stayed in the lead going into half time. 

Macy Gardner headed into wing attack to start the third, with the constant effort from Maddy McAuliffe forcing a third change in the position. The Lightning’s class came to play early in the third, with the attack moving much better and Koenen winning the battle over Hinchliffe with her excellent goalline drive. A couple of big moments from the Lightning saw the scoreline reduce to just one goal with a Firebirds tactical timeout imminent, while a couple of great defensive moments from Pretorius and Maweni allowed the Lightning to capitalise off the Firebirds centre and draw ahead for the first time all game midway through the third. 

Rudi Ellis made her way onto the court in goal keeper to add some extra height and hands over pressure on Koenen, while Hinchliffe stepped out to goal defence as Jenner headed to the bench, such was Wood’s dominance out the front. While Mahalia Cassidy and Langman were both starring in their respective attacking thirds, the Firebirds wing attack woes continued, with Gardner hesitating on the feed allowing the defenders to get the upper hand. The super shot was the saving grace for the Firebirds with Dwan putting one on the board although Wood did the same at the other end, with neither team letting up on the scoreboard and as the Lightning held a three goal lead heading into the final term.

The stifling defence from the Lightning was relentless, and with a finals berth on the line the home side’s final quarter effort was testament to the buildup from defence. While Aiken was continuing to fire from all cylinders, the defensive effort outside the circle was just as strong as within, not letting anywhere near as much ball into the circle as they did early on. Dwan came off the court with minor shoulder pain requiring strapping, seeing youngster Mia Stower take the court, and while the goal attack put up a few shots the unintended change did not do the Firebirds any favours as the Lightning extended to a six goal lead with less than 10 minutes on the clock. 

With both Lightning goalers on fire, the Firebirds defenders did not know where to look. Despite constant efforts from Gabi Simpson, the Firebirds looked tired and could not seem to find the intensity they needed despite a super shot from Dwan who returned to the court heavily strapped. Jacqui Russell came alive in the dying minutes, turning over the ball multiple times and while an Aiken super shot kept the Firebirds in touch it was not enough as the Lightning kept their season alive with a 75-67 victory. 

Pretorius and Wood were the difference in this match and Pretorius deservingly won player of the match honours for her effort, with three intercepts and six deflections resulting in six gains, while Wood finished with 19 goals (five super shots), 24 feeds and 20 centre pass receives to her name. Koenen starred at the post with 41 goals at 100 per cent, while Langman racked up 27 assists from 47 feeds. The Lightning defensive unit of Pretorius, Maweni, McAuliffe and Russell carved up the Firebirds attack with a huge nine intercepts between them, three apiece to Pretorius and Maweni while Russell managed two in 19 minutes on court. For the Firebirds, Aiken was huge with 47 goals from 52 attempts at improved 90 per cent accuracy, including her one super shot, while Dwan was well and truly nullified by Pretorius to finish with 11 goals at 52 per cent (five super shots). Cassidy finished with 24 assists while defensively it was a much quieter one than typically seen from the purple, with the combination of Jenner, Hinchliffe and Ellis only picking up an intercept apiece.

>>>LIGHTNING TEAM PAGE
>>> FIREBIRDS TEAM PAGE
>>> FULL MATCH STATS

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SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING 13 | 19 | 23 | 20 (75)
QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS 20 | 17 | 15 | 15 (67)

STARTING SEVEN

Lightning

GS: Peace Proscovia
GA: Cara Koenen
WA: Laura Scherian
C: Laura Langman
WD: Maddy McAuliffe
GD: Karla Pretorius
GK: Phumza Maweni

Firebirds 

GS: Romelda Aiken
GA: Tippah Dwan
WA: Lara Dunkley
C: Mahalia Cassidy
WD: Gabi Simpson
GD: Kim Jenner
GK: Tara Hinchliffe