Historic Win for Feisty Fever

West Coast Fever has beaten reigning ANZ Championship title holders Kia Magic for the first time in front of a sell-out crowd at Challenge Stadium.

An unanswered 10-goal run in the first quarter and the blanketing job Fever goal keeper Eboni Beckford-Chambers did on Magic goal shooter Irene van Dyk set up the 57-51 Fever victory.

The closest Fever had been to Magic in their previous five encounters was one goal when they last met at Challenge Stadium in Round 7, 2011, but today was another record-breaking performance whose previous highest score against the Magic was 50.

Fever’s victory also cost the Magic the glory of equalling the longest winning streak in the history of the ANZ Championship. That streak currently stands at 15, set by the Mission Queensland Firebirds back in 2011.

Fever led by as many as 16 goals at times in the third quarter but despite a fightback from the New Zealanders in the fourth quarter held on to record their second win of the season.

Magic had the first centre pass of the game, scored the first goal and opened up a four-goal lead early in the first quarter but once the Fever started to fire there was no stopping them.

Beckford-Chambers was all over revered international goal shooter Van Dyk, imposing her defensive prowess on a match-up she had geared up for all week.

On the back of 94% shooting from WAIS athlete Caitlin Bassett and Cath Cox, Fever went into the quarter time break leading 15-9.

It was a busy first quarter for the Magic who were clearly on the back foot and called two injury time outs and were then forced to make player changes.

Constant defensive pressure forced the New Zealanders into rushing decisions and holding the ball, all of which the Fever pounced on.

By half-time Fever held a 10-goal lead and pushed that out to 14 by three quarter time.

After breaking the game out to a 16-goal margin again in the fourth quarter, Fever were pegged back to within six goals with two-and-a-half minutes to play and eventually that was the final margin.

Fever made their first changes of the game midway through that final term, giving captain Catherine Cox a rest after she suffered recurring back spasms throughout the week and showed incredible determination to even take the court.

Fever’s next game is away against the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Adelaide next Sunday, April 14. The next home game is on Sunday, April 21 against NSW Swifts.

– Netball WA