WEST Coast Fever went down by seven goals to Magpies Netball at the Perth Arena on the weekend.
Fever had the better of the start as shooters Kate Beveridge and Nat Medhurst established an early scoreboard advantage.
The opposing midcourts wrestled for ascendancy throughout the remainder of a fiercely physical first term, with the sides level at quarter time.
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READ NOWThe visitors returned from the interval registering six of the first seven goals in the second quarter to skip out to a healthy lead.
While the West Coast side managed to make a small dent in the margin, the Magpies held firm to carry a seven-goal advantage to halftime.
As quickly as they found themselves level though the lead slipped away again from Fever, with the Magpies steadying the home side’s charge in the closing minutes of the third term to take a four goal advantage to the final break.
The two teams traded goals early in the fourth quarter, with neither able to assert authority on the scoreboard.
The international experience of the Diamond studded Magpies squad shone through, as the visitors’ six Australian representatives began to take a stranglehold on the game for a 49-42 win.
Fever head coach Stacey Marinkovich was balanced in her post game appraisal.
“For us to be able to come back and fight was a huge step forward for us,” Marinkovich said.
“The way we defended and locked down that court and put so much pressure on them showed how hard we were working as a team.”
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