FIREBIRDS' DOUBLE DELIGHT

It was a double celebration for the Queensland Firebirds in their 71-54 win over the LG Mystics tonight – scoring their first victory of the ANZ Championship season, and helping Australia clinch the annual Rivalry Round honours.
 
Led by a determined Natalie Medhurst, the Firebirds delighted their Brisbane home crowd with a goal-scoring fest to finally put points next to their name on the championship board. There was also joy to be taken from the Queenslanders’ second highest score in ANZ history, beating their previous best of 66. And their record goal tally boosted Australia’s weekend haul to claim rivalry honours from the Kiwis – 288-220 - for the second successive year.
 
Medhurst, who finished the match with 30 goals from 35, said it was fantastic to end the team’s frustration and get a long-awaited win. “We probably over-analysed the first few games, so we just went out and did what we do best, and had fun out there,” she said.
 
The Mystics – still searching for an historic win on Australia soil - struggled to open their account, 0-3 down and unable to find a clear path through the deep Firebirds defence. When wing attack Temepara George could shake Firebirds opposite Claire McMenamin off her tail, the Mystics were able to play their way into the game, and then edge ahead.
 
Jamaican team-mates Romelda Aiken and Althea Byfield went head-to-head – although Firebirds shooter Aiken had a good 10cm on the Mystics goal keeper. Byfield was unfazed by the height difference, and threw herself at every ball with impressive effect.
 
The Firebirds were guilty of unsure hands early on, but Sarah Wall and Lauren Nourse grew more confident with their passes into Aiken, who accordingly grew in conviction with her shots. The Queenslanders established a three-goal advantage, 15-12, at the end of the first quarter.
 
Mystics coach Te Aroha Keenan looked for more speed on attack, benching veteran Jenny-May Coffin for Grace Rasmussen. But the Firebirds were on a roll - goal attack Medhurst taking on the responsibility of game maker, setting up perfect ball for Aiken, and putting up her own shots with sureness.
 
Confusion over a substitution time-out cost the Mystics a turn-over, pushing the deficit out to six, and forcing New Zealand defender Joline Henry to the bench in the mix-up. But the chaos appeared to spur them into a kind of comeback, closing to within three through some solid shooting by Cathrine Latu and Silver Fern Maria Tutaia.
 
At 32-27 ahead at halftime, Firebirds coach Roselee Jencke stuck to her tried and true starting line-up and they continued to build on their lead through a strong understanding between midcourt and shooters. Keenan, on the other hand, juggled her line-up trying to find some new order. Firebirds goal keeper Laura Geitz successfully shut down the flow of ball through to Latu, and the difference between the two sides ballooned out to 14 goals halfway through the game-breaking third quarter.
 
The home side eventually added 20 goals to their total in the 15-minute spell, putting them in a dominant position, from which they couldn’t be reeled in during the last phase. The Firebirds plan to take their new-found confidence into their next game against the Southern Steel, in their quest to break the Australian hoodoo in Invercargill.