Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel v Avis Magic – Rd 15
July 21, 2024
A chapter has closed in the history of the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel with head coach Reinga Bloxham bidding farewell.
Yesterday’s 55-44 defeat to the Avis Magic wasn’t the planned theme of the ‘bon voyage’ party at ILT Stadium Southland but ultimately the result was immaterial for the home side as a challenging 2024 campaign came to an end.
In contrast, the Magic had everything to play for with victory a non-negotiable to stay in the hunt for a spot in the ANZ Premiership Finals Series.
Boasting an eight-goal lead at halftime, it was the Magic’s 17-7 third spell domination which sealed the Steel’s fate.
For the coach affectionately dubbed Curly, there was still an array of positives to be proud of from her athletes, particularly a gutsy final quarter which Steel dominated 15-8 to mitigate the damage on the scoreboard.
It’s often said defence wins games and there’s no doubt Magic stalwart Erena Mikaere understood the assignment, proving a nuisance throughout for the southern attackers and racking up 10 gains and four intercepts to her credit.
Not to be outdone, goal defence Abby Lawson was a standout for the Steel, notching seven gains and four intercepts in an impressive display of continuing form.
She earned kudos from her captain Kate Heffernan.
“Abby has had an awesome season – it’s been so cool to see her get a lot of minutes and really make the most of the opportunity,” she said.
“She’s a really awesome team player on and off the court – we’d be lost without her so it’s great to see her thrive.”
For Heffernan, the performance felt too repetitive.
“It felt like the other games I guess. We have a really good period where we put the pressure on and then we just let it off and let them so the exact same thing to us. It’s disappointing but it was cool to see the heart shown in that last quarter.”
She paid tribute to role Bloxham had played.
“Curly’s a really special person and a special coach. She gave my sister and I a shot when we were straight out of school. To be honest, we were really surprised when we got the opportunity but she just had the confidence and she’s backed us all the way,” she said.
“She’s done that with so many players. If you look here in the south, the amount of players that have come down here and thrived is really down to Curls.
“She’s a massive part of our team and she will be missed but it’s really exciting to see the opportunities she will be getting.”
For Bloxham, it was the end of an era.
“It has been an absolute honour and a privilege and one that I am really proud of,” she said.
“I’ve had so many highs and so many lows but I’ve absolutely enjoyed my time here. I just love coaching. I love the fact that sport just gives you so many different emotions.
“It’s been an interesting day but I’ve just tried to stay in the process and make sure I tick all the boxes. Now I’m able to start looking back to reflect and just enjoy that experience.”
For vastly different but equally emotional reasons, both sides came into the match desperate to clinch the win.
A resurgent second half to the season, where they have now won seven of their last nine outings, the Magic jumped into third place with their latest win but now have a nervous wait ahead of this afternoon’s Stars vs MG Mystics clash which will determine who wraps up third place for the Finals Series.
The Steel made a crisp and productive start where they were direct and accurate on attack while the defence end did their job to deny and disrupt the Magic’s flow.
The visitors recovered from a nervous start to find their groove midway through. Producing more movement on attack with shooters Saviour Tui and Ameliaranne Ekenasio providing the polish under the hoop.
Their opportunities were enhanced by the defensive exploits of Mikaere, in particular, and Georgia Takarangi, who provided all sorts of problems for the Steel shooters. Untimely lapses continued to prove costly for the Steel as the Magic stamped their mark to take a 15-10 lead into the first break.
Defensive gains gave the Steel early impetus on the resumption but once again they were left frustrated by a lack of movement and variety on attack.
With Mikaere and Takarangi quick to pounce on anything loose, the Magic were comfortably able to keep the Steel at arms-length. Not always accurate at the hoop, the weight of possession meant the visitors always held a measure of control.
Despite shooter Summer Temu playing the quarter and goalkeeper Jeante Strydom coming on late in the piece for the Steel, the home side couldn’t make any substantive inroads, the Magic increasing their margin to a 30-22 lead at the main break.
With both teams making full use of their benches, the third stanza got off to a wild start, resulting in a flurry of turnovers as the ball moved frenetically from one end of the court to the other several times.
It was the Magic who retained the control, and once settled left their mark in decisive fashion. Building on a 6-1 lead to open the stanza, the visitors completely threw the Steel off-stride, the southerners attack line hesitant and disconnected as the Magic limited their scoring opportunities.
Captain Ekenasio was a key figure for the Magic, marshalling the attack end while showing her athletic and shooting skills to keep the scoreboard ticking over at a rapid rate.
Ivana Rowland made the most of her opportunity, slotting seven from seven from goal shoot for the Magic while Temu was accurate under the hoop for the Steel but had limited opportunities.
Keeping their foot on the pedal, the Magic delivered a high-scoring 15-minute spell while keeping the Steel to single digits in taking a handsome 47-29 lead into the last turn.
A final quarter burst from the Steel when they out-pointed the Magic 15-8 proved too little too late while a significant coaching era for the southerners came to an end.
Official Result and Stats:
Ascot Park Hotel Steel: 44
AVIS Magic: 55
Shooting Stats - Steel:
Summer Temu 22/24 (92%)
Georgia Heffernan 19/26 (73%)
Grace Namana 3/4 (75%)
Shooting Stats - Magic:
Ameliaranne Ekenasio 22/25 (88%)
Saviour Tui 19/25 (76%)
Ivana Rowland 14/15 (93%)
ANZ Fans' Player of the Match: Erena Mikaere (Magic)
