Spirited Stars show fight to finish season

A spirited Go Media Stars outfit have produced a valiant effort to finish their ANZ Premiership season, held off by the Steel 61-55 in Invercargill. 

The Stars entered the contest desperate to put together a showing they could be proud of to finish a difficult campaign.

A fired up defensive pairing of Lili Tokaduadua and Remi Kamo irritated the Steel attack like sandflies on a Summer's day and forced a number of deflections and turnovers with their suffocating play.

Unfortunately for them and the Stars, they struggled to convert those turnovers into valuable goals, with the first quarter seeing the Stars log a disappointing 25% turnover to goal rate as they were down 14-10 at the quarter break.

A chance to catch their breath at quarter time was just what the Stars needed as they roared into life with ball in hand. The Stars showed what they're capable off with some beautiful link up play and some confidence allowing the ball to be swiftly sent into the shooting circle, where Maia Wilson would convert, as she was a pillar of power in front of the hoop.

Mila Reulelu-Buchanan and Tori Kolose were thriving with their attacking freedom in the mid-court and racked up some impressive assists, threading the needle with surgeon-like precision to find Wilson and Crystal Maro.

The Stars minimised their errors and looked like a completely different team, capping off a strong quarter with some more tantalising play, winning the quarter 18-14 and tying the game 28-all at half-time.

An excited Stars came out a bit too fast out the blocks and stumbled at the start of second half, with some rushed play allowing the Steel to capitalise on their errors and build a handy lead.

An inability to stop the momentum of their opponents had been a problem of the Stars for much of the season, but they hung tough and gritted their teeth for much of the third period, determined to stay in the fight.

The remained at the heels of the Steel, after regaining composure with the ball and with time ticking down on the clock, Wilson came up clutch with a two-point bomb to cut the deficit to two goals, with the Steel ahead 45-43.

The Stars made an encouraging start to the final quarter, with two straight Wilson goals locking the scores at 45-each.

The Steel then came to life, buoyed by their home fans and went on a damaging run of their own - surging to a seven goal advantage in what was a game defining run.

The Stars refused to quit though and tried until the very end, with Wilson landing a couple more two-pointers to finish the game down by a respectable six goals, as the Steel came away with a 61-55 victory.

Wilson finished the game with an outstanding captain's knock, netting 47 of her 49 shots at goal, while Kamo was impressive at the defensive end with multiple deflections and gains.

The Stars can hold their heads high after a commendable effort to close a tough season, The six-goal defeat was their lowest losing margin and many players enjoyed stand out moments throughout.