Tactix continue their winning run

After defeating the Northern Stars by a point in their opening game, the Tactix, who struggled throughout the 2017 campaign have shown already this year that they’re a force to be reckoned with.

For the Mystics, who were tipped by some to be the team to beat, they’re still looking for their first win after two games and already the signs are worrying.

What is of further concern would be that this was a game where they had Maria Folau available.

Folau, who’ll only play sporadically this season, made her first appearance for the Mystics this year and given her team are at home again on Sunday to the Magic, it could be presumed she’ll stick around on this side of the Tasman to play in that game too.

Silver Fern goal shoot Bailey Mes, who had a poor game in the round one loss to the Steel, started this game on the bench, alongside Folau, with Jamie Hume and Tera-Maria Amani leading the attack.

It was a tight opening to the game, but as the first quarter progressed, the Mystics’ midcourt stood out, with Phoenix Tactix 42 (Kate Beveridge 16/18, Brooke Leaver

1/3, Ellie Bird

25/32) beat Mystics 39 (TeraMaria Amani

9/11, Jamie Hume

7/12, Maria Folau

17/24 Bailey Mes

6/8) Q1: 8-12; HT:

19-19; Q3: 31-31 Standings: Central Pulse 4, Mainland Tactix

4, Southern Steel

2, Northern Stars

1*, Northern Mystics 1, Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic 0* *Denotes game in hand Karaka and Elisapeta Toeava working well to find the shooters.

The Mystics led 12-8 at the first break, but thanks to goals from Ellie Bird, the Tactix made a rally early in the second quarter to get the score to 13-12. Seven minutes into the second quarter Folau came on for Hume, which brought a cheer from the small crowd at Trusts Arena.

Anna Harrison was having a full on battle with Tactix goal shoot Bird throughout the second quarter, with neither player willing to back down, but Bird got the last three goals of the half to lock the game up at 19-19.

Mes came on for the third quarter, to join her Silver Ferns partner, but the game continued to swing the Tactix’s way and at one point they were leading 31-27, before Folau helped take the score to 31-31 at the end of the third quarter.

Five of the first seven goals in the fourth quarter were scored by Bird, as the Tactix edged away. The tallest player in the Premiership at 1.96m continued to pile on the points for the Tactix and in the end they had a small enough cushion to hold onto.