Mystics March Into Grand Final After Outclassing Tactix
The Tactix will return home to Christchurch to face Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse in next Sunday's Elimination Final with plenty to ponder after being outclassed across the board by a slick Mystics side who showed few deficiencies.
Meeting in the final round of the regular season set the perfect scenario with the No 1 Mystics and No 2 Tactix squaring off to decide hosting rights for the Grand Final. Needing to win by six or more to have the opportunity to host the Grand Final in Christchurch, the Tactix fell well short.
Snatching the opening turnover from the Tactix first pass, the Mystics didn't take another backward glance as they powered away, turning on the quality and leading from start to finish while leaving the southerners in their wake.
Losing their first clash by nine goals in Round 4 without the services of an injured Donnell Wallam, the prolific shooter was back for the re-match between the two form teams of the league and played a prominent role in nailing 57 goals.
With both teams at full-strength, the Mystics showed their depth of quality. Breaking the first centre pass set the Mystics on their way to holding the edge through the opening quarter where rising young defender Catherine Hall stamped her mark early.
Showing her excellent footwork and hands, Hall was responsible for five gains at the defensive end where at the other end, Wallam was equally influential under the hoop.
Struggling to contain the 1.93m height of Wallam, the Tactix defensive pairing of Karin Burger and Jane Watson came into their own late in the piece with some strong bustling play and turnover opportunities.
The Mystics finished an entertaining and high-scoring first quarter with their noses in front when leading 18-14.
The home side burst into dominating mode during the second quarter, the accumulated defensive pressure applied by Tayla Earle, Katie Te Ao, Michaela Sokolich-Beatson and Hall suffocating the Tactix options while forcing panicky play.
That provided front-foot ball for the Mystics attackers, with Peta Toeava coming into her own after being well-contained in the first quarter, resulting in the tall figure of Wallam looming large and reigning supreme under the hoop.
With the Mystics going on a 12-4 run, the Tactix hand was forced with a tactical timeout called by the visitors and subsequent changes with shooter Martina Salmon and midcourter Parris Petera being injected.
Trailing by 12 at one stage, the Tactix responded, taking small steps at chipping into the deficit but still had work to do when staring down a 37-29 advantage to the Mystics at the main break.
Anchored by their rocks at either end of the court, the Mystics extended their dominance during a withering third stanza.
Flush with options, the introduction of Holly Rae at goal defence didn't nothing to detract from the Mystics mastery across all facets of play. The Tactix had few answers to breaching the home side's water-tight defensive unit while also being powerless against the rock-solid Wallam and the Australian import's impact under the hoop.
While she missed a few shots, Wallam invariably got the rebound as the Mystics stretched their advantage to double digits. Needing super shots to get back into the contest, the Tactix couldn't find any reward from double-point range, left well on the back foot when trailing 54-39 at the last turn.
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