WAIS Netballers Help Fever to Three in a Row

WAIS scholarship holders have helped the West Coast Fever to a record third straight ANZ Championship victory after it defeated last year’s champion the NSW Swifts by one goal in extra-time last night at Perth’s Challenge Stadium.

In what is being described as the match of the season to date, the Fever produced a stirring come back, after they trailed by seven goals with only three minutes remaining. The 67-66 score-line was also the highest total the Fever has ever reached in a match as Jane Searle’s squad was left to celebrate what was arguably the clubs finest moment.

With recent form and confidence high, the Fever stormed back to level the scores and send the contest into extra-time, after WAIS athlete Caitlin Bassett had scored with just six seconds remaining to set up a thrilling finale. And with a raucous home crowd spurring them on, the Fever responded in extra-time to again pull back a deficit and finish one goal clear of one of the competition’s powerhouse teams.

Bassett was again dominant in the shooting arc for the Fever, hitting an incredible 54 goals at an accuracy of 86%. The WAIS combination of Shae Bolton at centre and Madison Browne at wing attack proved damaging all night for the swifts, whilst another WAIS scholarship holder Josie Janz continued her brilliant early season form.

WAIS athlete Andrea Gilmore came onto court in the fourth quarter and played a pivotal role, creating an intercept late in the match, preventing the Swifts from protecting their lead.

“It feels awesome,” Gilmore told the competition’s official website. “We’ve worked so hard together, we really deserved that win. We did it for each other.”

WAIS scholarship holder and West Coast Fever goal keeper Susan Fuhrmann also featured, preventing the Swifts Australian representative, Catherin Cox from controlling the match.

The Fever will now aim for a fourth straight win when they face the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane on May 11.