MELBOURNE, CMC – Ace Trinidad & Tobago goal shooter Samantha Wallace-Joseph was near perfect, and New South Wales Swifts overcame early issues and an eight-goal, final quarter deficit to log a 77-73 win in extra time against Queensland Firebirds in the Super Netball League in Australia.
The 30-year-old surprisingly started on the bench, but she proved her value, scoring 41 goals from 46 attempts and enabled the Swifts to fight back from a 55-47 deficit with a little over two minutes remaining in the final quarter to sting the less experienced hosts at the Nissan Arena in Brisbane.
The Firebirds won each of the first three-quarters of a physical, error-strewn, but exciting contest to lead by three, five, and eight margins at the breaks.
The Firebirds’ energetic defensive trio of Ruby Bakewell-Doran, Remi Kamo, and Hulita Veve made life uncomfortable for the star-studded Swifts for much of the match. However, the Swifts ratcheted up the pressure in the final quarter and extra time, and the hosts cracked.
The Swifts pulled off a clinical 17-9 fightback in the final stanza and managed to tie the score at 62-62, but the match was forced into extra time for the second time in the third round of the tournament.
The Swifts’ momentum stayed, and they were in front by four after the first five minutes of extra time. They continued to push forward in the final moments, impressively running down the clock to clinch the win.
Wallace-Joseph made her first appearance on court in the match after the Firebirds opened a four-goal lead in the first quarter. Swifts coach Briony Akle called a tactical timeout, but the hosts kept their noses in front, holding a 19-16 lead going into the first break.
Momentum began to swing early in the second quarter, with the Swifts’ attacking duo of Paige Hadley and Maddy Proud directing the flow through the mid-court and feeding the ball into Wallace-Joseph over the long arms of the Firebirds’ defensive duo of Remi Kano and Ruby Bakewell-Doran.
Both sides committed a cluster of errors as the second Power Five of the match loomed, but the Swifts were able to contain the scoring of Firebirds goalie Donnell Wallam, and the home team entered the half-time break leading 35-30.
The Firebirds put their foot down in the third term, pushing out to their most significant lead and forcing Wallace-Joseph in to take a series of Super Shots. The Swifts’ goal shooter could not hit the mark, and the hosts were in high spirits going into the final period with a 53-45 lead.
Elsewhere, Jamaican defender Jodi-Ann Ward was part of a Giants outfit that the Melbourne Vixens thumped 63-44 at Ken Rosewall Arena.
and then 