The Central Pulse have moved into second in the Premiership netball standings after beating the Mainland Tactix 52-38 in Christchurch.
Central Pulse captain Katrina Grant. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
16-year-old Pulse shooter Tiana Metuarau made 25 from 28 attempts while her more experienced shooting partner Cathrine Tuivaiti missed just one of her 27 shots on goal.
Tactix goal shoot Ellie Bird was one of the few highlights for the hosts who made 30 from 36 attempts.
The home side also took out the final quarter, 12-8, but by then the Pulse had already stamped their control on the match.
Right from the opening whistle, the Pulse showed no hesitancy, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. But the Tactix soon found a rhythm, with Anna Thompson at wing attack having great vision into her shooters. At the opposite end, the Tactix defence -Temalisi Fakahokotau, Hayley Saunders and Zoe Walker taking turns to interrupt the Pulse attack.
Although the game dissolved into periods of chaos, with big misdirected bombs from either end, the Pulse managed to stay on top 12-8 at the first break.
The second quarter, though, was all the Pulse. As has become their style, Phoenix Karaka and Katrina Grant swapped defender bibs to keep the Tactix shooters guessing. But wing defence Claire Kersten (the match MVP) kept Thompson under wraps, helping to break down the Tactix flow before it even reached the circle.
A spectacular intercept on the fly by Grant was symbolic of the quarter. The Tactix appeared too timid to let the ball go, allowing the Pulse to make steal after steal. With Metuarau dominating the shooting and Tuivaiti not missing a beat, they pushed the difference between the sides into double figures; the Pulse leading 30-18 at halftime.
By the end of the third quarter, the Tactix had tried all four of their shooters in an attempt to get around the yellow wall, but with the gap 44-26 going into the final spell, it seemed there was little they could do to turn around their fortunes.
