Fever Crush Swifts in ANZ Championship

West Coast Fever claimed their biggest ever win over the NSW Swifts at Challenge Stadium this afternoon, winning 71-51.

It was Fever’s third win from 12 outings against the Swifts and their biggest winning margin over the Sydneysiders, surpassing the previous highest of three goals.

In winning their third game of the season Fever also held the Swifts to their equal lowest score over the duration of their encounters.

Swifts won the toss and had the first centre pass of the game but Fever seemed unfazed by the challenge that lay ahead and once they got their noses in front in the first term they liked the view.

Hard-running and decisive passing, from the likes of WAIS athlete Ashleigh Brazill at wing defence, gave Fever the momentum and had the Swifts calling a timeout with just under six minutes to play in the first term as the Fever led by three goals.

But it didn’t end there as Fever kept up the pressure and the run to race out to a 13-goal quarter time, leading 25-12.

In that first term prolific goal shooter Caitlin Bassett (WAIS) reached a major personal milestone when she scored her 2500th ANZ Championship goal. She became the third player in ANZ Championship history to reach 2500 mark, joining Romelda Aiken and Irene van Dyk.

There were plenty of changes in personnel for the Swifts to start the second quarter while the Fever remained unchanged and undeterred as they extended the lead to 20 at the main break.

Fever goal defenders Eboni Beckford-Chambers and Chanel Gomes, who came into the starting line-up ahead of Josie Janz (WAIS) as a match-up for Susan Pratley, made life tough for their opponents and held them to only 13 attempts in each of the first two quarters and by half-time the Fever led 42-22.

The changes came at the defensive end for the Swifts in the third quarter as they tried to quieten the explosion of goals coming from Bassett and Catherine Cox but it didn’t work as Fever stretched the lead out to 24 at the final change.

The excitement that had built inside Challenge Stadium was brought to a halt just five seconds into final quarter when dynamic wing defender Ashleigh Brazill injured her left ankle.

Brazill, who was named as the ANZ Championship MVP for the game, will have the ankle scanned to assess the injury.

The injury forced Fever to make their first changes of the game, with Gomes moving to wing defence and Janz onto goal defence.

While leading by 23 with just over seven minutes to play, coach Norma Plummer gave some of her bench players a run, with WAIS scholarship holder Kate Beveridge replacing Cox at goal attack and fellow WAIS athlete Courtney Bruce replacing Eboni Beckford-Chambers at goal keeper.

Severe cramp in her calves forced Fever centre Shae Bolton (WAIS) to the bench. That moved Verity Simmons (WAIS) from wing attack to centre and brought Lisa Millman on to wing attack.

Fever’s next opponent is the Melbourne Vixens who they will face at Perth Arena.

– Netball WA