Lightning crush Firebirds in Queensland netball derby

Yahoo

26-04-2025

Sunshine Coast have celebrated the 100-game milestones of Cara Koenen and Mahalia Cassidy in grand style, posting a crushing 64-50 Super Netball win over rivals Queensland Firebirds.
The Firebirds entered Saturday's match at UniSC Arena with a perfect 2-0 record and keen to turn around a five-match losing streak to the Lightning.
But it was the Lightning who burst out of the blocks, with Koenen superb in attack and Ashleigh Ervin a rock in defence.
Koenen nailed 37-of-42 to go along with 2-2 from Super Shot range, while Ervin tallied four intercepts and 12 gains.
Threading the needle 😍 pic.twitter.com/mUGsKn3St7
— Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) April 26, 2025
Firebirds goalshooter Mary Cholhok endured an off night, shooting 22-of-29 amidst a constant struggle to impose herself under the tight attention of Ervin.
"That was amazing. It was such a special occasion. It was a real team effort to get that win today," Ervin told Fox Sports after the match.
"We really played for those two (Koenen and Ervin) today. They've been absolutely amazing for our club."
The result left both the Lightning and Firebirds with 2-1 records.
Cholhok couldn't get near it early, with her first shot not coming until midway through the first quarter.
The scoreboard already read 10-4 in favour of Sunshine Coast by that stage, and the margin extended to seven goals a short time later.
That one meant a lot 💛 pic.twitter.com/Ybr0YbDHap
— Sunshine Coast Lightning (@sc_lightning) April 26, 2025
Cholhok went on a mini run to help close the margin back to four goals by quarter-time, and the Firebirds closed to within one goal with just four minutes left in the first half.
But the Super Shot period proved invaluable for the Lightning, with Steph Fretwell finding her range to inspire an 8-2 run as Sunshine Coast soared to a 33-26 lead by halftime.
The lead extended to 11 goals early in the third quarter as Sunshine Coast took complete control of the match, and there was no letting up in the last period.
Koenen sent the home crowd wild with consecutive Super Shots in the dying moments of the match.
"It's really special, doing 100 games is no small feat in itself, and doing it for one club - I'm really proud," Koenen said.