Diamonds sparkle in upset win

Diamonds sparkle in upset win

The Trusts Diamonds kept the race for semifinal spots wide open in the National Bank Cup netball competition with a thrilling upset 49-47 win over Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic supported by Sleepyhead in round six action today.

Recovering from a slow start, the Diamonds turned on a sparkling display in an action-packed match which has kept them well in the frame for a top-four spot which will now go down to the wire in next weekend’s final round robin matches.

The usually dependable Magic shooter Irene van Dyk was kept quiet for long periods by the Diamonds dynamic defensive duo of Anna Scarlett and Stephanie Bond. The pair successfully double-teamed the scoring maestro, their long reach and timing on jumping the shot proving particularly effective.

After controlling the early stages of the match, the Magic lost their way in the second quarter. The pressure of the Diamonds smothering through-court defence, where captain Vic Edward was a constant thorn for the visitors, and the accuracy of shooter Maria Tutaia rocketed the home team to a three-goal lead at the halftime break.

An even third quarter ensured that lead was maintained into a frantic final 15 minutes with the Magic leveling the scores with four minutes remaining.
The Diamonds held their nerve as the advantage swung back and forth between the teams, the Magic finally being subdued with the rare sight of van Dyk missing two close range shots in the dying seconds.

``It was a great game and I think we deserved it right at the very end there. We held them all the way through and it was tough going so it was good,’’ Diamonds coach Sue Hawkins said.

``I never doubted this team. You don’t go into a game thinking about bonus points, you go in for a win and that’s what we certainly did. Everyone participated really well, it was a great team effort. We have no doubt in our mind that we can win this competition.’’

The result was not all doom and gloom for the Magic, the loss today ending the defending champions most successful winning streak of 10 successive wins.

``We had some lapses as individuals but it was a really good game,’’ Magic coach Noeline Taurua said afterwards.

``We got some solid things that we can work on out of that game. We kept our structure even though there was a lot of pressure, it’s now just about individuals. We’ve got to come back from this and learn about taking the ball harder but overall, irrelevant of the score, I’m pretty pleased with how things are going.’’

Ends

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