West Coast Fever have taught the Queensland Firebirds a lesson in ruthlessness as the West Australians surged into the Super Netball top two with a 79-69 win.
The victory at a packed Nissan Arena in Brisbane was the Fever's seventh from as many starts this season and were it not for the 12-point penalty handed to the club for salary cap breaches in 2017and 2018 they would be towering over the competition.
As spirited and athletic as the Firebirds were, they missed opportunities that the seasoned Fever gobbled up.
Endlessly questioned over salary cap payments made by staff no longer at the club, coach Stacey Marinkovich said the "white noise" surrounding the team did not faze them.
"We walk towards uncomfortable situations. We embrace moments and we celebrate those successes," she said.
"We take extreme pride in the uniform we wear and we're very focused on what we contribute to the club and the way in which we contribute is our training environment.
"We make sure that we step up and do the things we need to do."
Barely a pass was wasted by outstanding centre Jess Anstiss in her duel with elite Firebird Kim Ravaillion and Fever wing attack Verity Charles made the Queenslanders pay with 38 feeds and 25 assists.
On the end of all that great work was Jhaniele Fowler who sank 62 goals at 97 per cent accuracy.
"We had it there so many times and let it go," Firebirds defender Kim Jenner said of her 50th match.
"They have such a strong team and when they get the ball they shoot quickly."
There was plenty of pre-season buzz about the improving Firebirds being finals bolters.
A win would launch them to the cusp of the top four and for at least the first quarter they promised to achieve the unthinkable - keeping Fowler to a manageable tally.
Fowler's 11 first-quarter goals were, by her stellar standards barely par, which was an indication the Firebirds defence had heaped as much pressure as possible on the Fever scoring machine.
It was stirring stuff from the Firebirds, led at each end of the court by tireless goaler Gretel Bueta.
The trouble was sustaining it.
Queensland was guilty in each super shot period of failing to punish the Fever for the small amounts of possession gains they pinched.
A ball pilfered by Tara Hinchliffe out of Fowler's fingertips in the second quarter was just as quickly handed back.
And, until Firebird Tippah Dwan launched a trio of super shots at the end of the third term, West Coast had a monopoly over the long range-shot bonanza.
Australian Associated Press
