

Fever power past Lightning
Fever make it ten straight with ruthless showing on the road.

Fever make it ten straight with ruthless showing on the road.
By Caitlin Greenwood
The West Coast Fever have become notched ten consecutive wins, dismantling the Sunshine Coast Lightning 69โ54 in a dominant performance.
Led by Alice Teague-Neeld and anchored by a suffocating defensive unit, Fever maintained their unbeaten run with a polished display at both ends of the court.
The Jamaican duo of Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard and Shanice Beckford combined early to open the scoring, while the Lightning, missing Origin Diamond Cara Koenen due to a foot injury, quickly found themselves on the back foot.
Jordan Cransberg looked composed and confident in the midcourt, delivering clean ball to her shooters. Fever surged to a six-goal lead, and Lightning coach Belinda Reynolds called a tactical timeout, but it did little to halt the visitors' momentum.
The home side introduced Courtney Bruce for Tara Hinchliffe in a bid to quiet the Fever attack.
The Lightning were forced to rely on super shots to stay within striking distance, but Fever's control and consistency saw them take a commanding 10-goal lead into the first break.
The home side came out with more urgency in the second quarter, showing improved drive and attacking movement. However, they continued to struggle against Feverโs suffocating defensive pressure.
Dehaney was dominant in the circle, combining with Sunday Aryang to force repeated turnovers and disrupt the Lightningโs timing.
Beckford continued to be a workhorse across the court, while at the other end Steph Fretwell looked hesitant under the post.
Lightning managed a small surge, stringing together back-to-back goals, prompting Fever coach Dan Ryan to call a tactical timeout, instructing his side to slow the home side's pace. The visitors responded immediately, regaining control behind the seamless midcourt efforts of Cransberg and Teague-Neeld.

Despite another timeout from Reynolds late in the term, the Lightning had no answers to Feverโs dominance.
Crucial super shots kept the scoreline respectable at times, but Feverโs flawless gain-to-goal rate was in stark contrast to Lightningโs 0% as the visitors took a 36-27 lead into halftime.
The home side opened the third quarter with renewed energy, racing out to a 4-1 run to close the gap slightly. Fever responded by introducing Fran Williams for Dehaney and brining on Zoe Cransberg at centre, replacing twin sister Jordan, who exited with an impressive 18 assists, 28 feeds and four turnovers.
Despite Lightning's sharper start, Fever remained composed. The home side edged the quarter heading into the Power Five, narrowing the margin to eight with just over two minutes remaining. But their progress was again stalled by costly errors.
Fretwell continued to look uncertain under the post, her first-half hesitation creeping back in under tight defensive pressure from Williams as Fever maintained control to lead by 10 heading into the final term.
Fever turned the screws in the final term, delivering a defensive masterclass that left the Lightning feeders scrambling for options. The pressure from the visitors caused chaos in attack, and as the Fever pulled further ahead, the usually vocal home crowd was left subdued.
Teague-Neeld continued her dominant outing, with her relentless drive forcing yet another change from the Lightning, with Kristiana Manuโa brought on in wing defence.
Feverโs efficiency was unmatched throughout the game, averaging just 28 seconds per goal compared to Lightningโs 42, and they surged to a 12-4 lead in the quarter before a few late super shots gave Lightning a modest lift.
Despite three two-point goals from the hosts, it wasnโt enough to close the gap, and Fever powered to a 69โ54 win.
Teague-Neeld was fittingly named MVP.