By Chloe Pilkington
The West Coast Fever have clinched a 68-67 win against the Melbourne Vixens in a special First Nations Round clash on Wurundjeri land at John Cain Arena.
With the top spot on the ladder at stake and a home semi-final up for grabs, the must-win match was unsurprisingly heated from the opening whistle.
Both teams went with ease from end-to-end in the first quarter, with the Fever feeding into Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard effortlessly from circle-edge. For the Vixens, it was Kiera Austin who impressed early with a no-look pass to Sophie Garbin under the ring, catching Fever's defensive menace Kadie-Ann Dehaney's eyes down.
In a late announcement, the home side revealed that Hannah Mundy had been ruled out of today's game due to a quad injury. Zara Walters was awarded the starting spot at wing attack and was a stand out for the Vixens, finishing on 113.5 Nissan Net Points.
The Melbourne fans were thrilled to witness Kate Eddy's return to the starting lineup at wing defence, marking her comeback on the court since Round 5.
After going goal-for-goal throughout the first ten minutes of the match, the Fever broke away with a Super Shot from Shanice Beckford. A textbook intercept from Sunday Aryang was rewarded down the other end by Fowler-Nembhard as the team in green continued to apply scoreboard pressure and lead 20-15 at the end of the opening term.
Coach Simone McKinnis pulled the strings throughout a physical second quarter, using the fullwidth of her bench. Emily Mannix made her first appearance of the match, with youngster Lily Graham also entering the court at goal shooter as Fever's defence continued to smother Sophie Garbin.
With the Fever holding a seven-goal lead, momentum began to swing into the Vixens' favour. Graham nailed an impressive four Super Shots, firing up the home crowd and locking up the score at 34 a-piece at the main break.
With nothing to seperate the two sides in the third quarter, the scoreline remained equal at 52-all, with a ferocious final fifteen minutes left to be played out.
The Fever's defence stepped up to another level in the fourth term, with Dehaney and Aryang both coming away with crucial intercepts.
Fowler-Nembhard kept the score ticking along for the travelling side. The powerhouse shooter finished strongly with 60 goals from 61 attempts (98%) as Alice Teague-Neeld finished on top of the assists for Fever with 25.
With a four-goal lead on the eve of the Power Five, the Fever were happy to take one-pointers as the Vixens were forced to shoot Super Shots to claw back their deficit.
Despite both Graham and Austin sinking two Super Shots in the final moments of the hard-fought match, it was the West Coast Fever who emerged victorious, seeking sweet revenge following their earlier season loss to the Vixens.
The Fever now sit equal on the ladder with the Vixens and give themselves another chance next week to top the table to secure a home semi-final.
