Coming off a Round 1 win, the VIP Frames and Trusses Tactix put in a valiant effort posting a 57-52 round 2 loss against the Go Media Stars in Auckland, on Sunday.
Fresh from their 57-50 triumph over the Steel in Christchurch, the Mainland Tactix were unable to claw back from the lead from the end of the first quarter, with the Stars denying the red and blacks from getting a lucrative bonus point.
In the early minutes, the disciplined southern side took advantage of the Star’s high penalty rate in the first quarter, turning errors into goals and stretching to a four goal lead.
Defensive powerhouses Jane Watson and Karin Burger took early command in the Star’s goal third, putting immense pressure on, but Star’s goal shooter Charlie Bell landed two 2-point shots in close succession, stealing the lead from the Tactix.
Into the second quarter, the northern side landed a string of long-range feeds into their goal circle extending the lead to four points, Tactix head coach Donna Wilkins urged the Tactix defenders to focus on ‘boxing-out in defence’ and focusing on winning valuable rebounds.
At the game’s halfway mark, the Tactix made strategic defensive changes, placing debutant Charli Fidler into goal keep, while Watson moved to goal defence and Burger shifted to wing defence.
An on-court tumble saw Captain Erikana Pedersen icing her ankle on the sidelines, bringing fresh-legged Parris Petera into wing attack, who enabled a nice run of goals bringing the Tactix to within three points of the lead in the 3rd quarter.
Going into the final 15 minutes, the Tactix were determined to fight until the final whistle, holding the Stars to account in the centre court, while Selby-Rickit landed three 2-point goals in the final 5 minutes, reducing the Star’s final advantage from nine points to five.
In the Sky Television post-match interview Tactix captain Erikana Pedersen said the Stars came out hard with the Tactix failing to adjust their game to the winning side’s tenacity.
“We will have to reflect on this game and take the learnings from it,” Pedersen said.
Next week the Tactix take on the Magic next Sunday 4pm, Globox Arena, Hamilton
