TBirds hold firm

By Caitlin Greenwood

The Adelaide Thunderbirds have returned to the winner’s circle with a hard-fought victory over the Queensland Firebirds, powered by a dominant defensive performance from Latanya Wilson and a composed final-quarter surge at home.
 
Both sides opened with messy passages of play, but it was Adelaide who struck first, pushing out to a two-goal lead before the Firebirds responded with a run of their own to take a 7-5 advantage.

The visitors applied strong defensive pressure, keeping the TBirds high off the circle and forcing uncharacteristic errors. Firebirds’ Mary Cholhok made way for Abigail Latu-Meafou ahead of the first Power Five, while Lauren Frew answered with a super shot to level scores late in the term. 

It was Wilson who stood tall for the home side, in a dominant defensive display that helped the Thunderbirds close out the quarter ahead, 17-15. 

The arm wrestle continued into the second as both sides traded goals early, but once again it was Wilson wreaking havoc in defence. Romelda Aiken-George carried much of the scoring load for the Thunderbirds, but a disjointed midcourt highlighted by six turnovers from Hannah Petty, resulted in a tactical timeout from Tania Obst.  

The visitors seized the momentum to lead the quarter 9-5 with the centre pass, forcing Obst to burn a second timeout, calling for energy and execution. 

Wilson continued her defensive masterclass with back-to-back intercepts, prompting a “no more balls to Latanya” from Kiri Wills during Queensland's timeout.  

The Jamaican star closed the half with seven gains, three intercepts, and seven deflections as Adelaide went on to hold a four-point lead at halftime. 
 
The Firebirds came out with renewed intensity after halftime, led by Hulita Veve and Macy Gardner.

Midway through the term, the Firebirds had edged ahead by two, with Latu-Meafou continuing her perfect shooting record for the match and nailing a crucial super shot to respond to one from Adelaide’s Georgie Horjus.  

The visitors claimed the quarter, trimming Adelaide’s lead to just one. 

The TBirds wasted no time asserting themselves in the final term, grabbing an early break to push out to a four-goal lead and forcing a tactical timeout. 

Adelaide strung together a four-goal run, only for the Firebirds to return fire with one of their own, levelling the scores midway through the term. But just as momentum seemed to swing the visitors’ way, small errors crept in, and the TBirds re-established a three-goal buffer. 

Cholhok and Latu-Meafou continued to keep the visitors in striking distance, but a late change in the shooting circle with Emily Moore replacing Cholhok, disrupted the flow. 

A tip from Ruby Bakewell-Doran sparked a Firebirds push, and they landed a two-point shot in the dying minutes. But it was too little, too late. Petty came alive in the final stretch with clutch defensive work, while Aiken-George remained composed under the post to help guide Adelaide to a 65-58 win.