The Northern Mystics kept their unbeaten record intact after snatching a dramatic last-gasp
55-54 win over Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel to close out Round 3 in Dunedin on
Monday.

Losing their key shooting weapon Donnell Wallam just ahead of the three-quarter break to
injury, the Mystics produced a masterstroke when shifting dynamic midcourt pivot Peta
Toeava into the goal attack role for the last nine minutes.

It turned out to be a pulsating nine minutes, Toeava proving she’s a magician in most positions on the court as the teams turned on a thrilling contest.

Down by five at the last break, intercepts to defender Carys Stythe and Kimiora Poi set the
Steel up for a spirited comeback.

Mystics shooter Filda Vui negated the Steel’s two-point lead to level the scores with a super
shot with under two minutes to play.

One last Holly Rae turnover gave the Mystics the sniff they needed to clinch a hard-fought
win against an impressive Steel challenge.

he result helped the visitors regain the Georgina Salter Memorial Trophy in a match which
also celebrated umpire Kristie Simpson, who was officiating in her 150 th  national league
match.

Still missing midcourter Kate Heffernan through injury, the Steel retained their winning
starting seven from the previous week. For the visitors, goal attack Hannah Glen got her first
start of the season in an otherwise predictable line-up.

The connection between clever feeder Peta Toeava and her tall shooting target Wallam was
evident from the first whistle as the Mystics quickly sprung into action with their quick
through-court transition.

The Steel needed to show more patience threading the ball through in the face of strong
defence but showing traits of old, the southerners ball retention was a feature. The visitors
held the slimmest of early leads where Wallam and her opposite Aliyah Dunn showed
perfect positioning and great accuracy under the hoop.

With everything very even on the statistics sheet, a steady, calm and patient Steel forged
their way into the lead, Georgia Heffernan nailing the first and only super shot of the quarter
to take the momentum and a 17-13 lead into the first break.

Both shooters remained in dominant form on the resumption where a goal-for-goal stand-off
was the order of play for the opening exchanges. Both teams spun the ball through court
seamlessly with Steel centre Poi in the thick of all the action.

A lift in the Mystics intensity helped the visitors eventually gain the slightest of edges through
the second spell. The injection of super shot specialist Vui at goal attack for the last five
minutes paid off handsomely in changing momentum the Mystics’ way..

With unassuming ease, Vui drilled three super shots to Heffernan’s one as the Mystics hit
the front when taking a tenuous 31-30 lead at the main break.

The Mystics opened the third quarter with serious intent, tightening the screws and
disrupting the Steel’s attacking flow. Captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson was a telling
presence from wing defence, upsetting the Steel’s feeds into the circle while getting her
hands on a succession of turnover ball.

It resulted in errors from the Steel, who at the other end of the court couldn’t harness the
growing dominance of pin-point feeds from Toeava and Vui into the safe hands of Wallam.
With the Mystics lead stretching out to six, Dunn showed she could shoot from anywhere
when slotting a super shot to keep the Steel well in the race.

Disaster struck on the brink of three-quarter time when Wallam fell heavily while trying to
retrieve a rebound, sustaining a wrist injury in the process and forcing her off the court.
Vui went back to goal shoot with Glen returning to goal attack as the Mystics headed into the
last break with a 47-42 lead.