Firebirds overpower Orioles

A place in the semi finals was on the line, as the Queensland Firebirds and Perth Orioles entered their round twelve clash with much to play for.

In a match which was dampened by the injury - enforced loss of key players from both teams, it was the Firebirds who put on a stunning attacking performance, to triumph 72–60.

The Orioles suffered a massive blow just minutes into the first quarter, when star midcourter Jessica Shynn was forced from the court with a serious knee injury. The subsequent shuffling of their midcourt threatened to derail their game, as the Firebirds capitalised, with goal shooter (GS) Joanne Morgan igniting the Queensland home crowd with some long range goals. The Firebirds looked ready to blow the lead out, however the Orioles regained their composure and hauled the margin in, to go to the quarter time break only trailing by two goals.

The Firebirds came out of the break the stronger of the two teams, and continued on to dominate the second quarter. The speed, agility, and feeding prowess of goal attack (GA) Belinda Dever worked as a perfect foil for the dominant Morgan, with some pinpoint feeding from wing attack (WA) Lauren Nourse also finding holes in the Orioles defence.

The newly reworked Orioles midcourt struggled to find entry into a static goal circle, as Firebirds defenders Mel Mckenzie and Peta Stephens made them pay for a lack of cohesion and movement. The Orioles made a mini – comeback towards the end of the quarter, however it was the Firebirds who went to the half time break with a healthy 38–29 lead.

The Orioles emerged much stronger in the third quarter, with midcourters Catherine Devitt and Stacey Rosman developing some rhythm, and starting to find their towering targets in Bassett and Beveridge. The Firebirds defenders were occasionally caught behind their opposition, giving way penalties, and allowing Basset and Beveridge easy access to the post.

Despite the improved performance from the Orioles attacking end, their defenders continued to struggle to contain Morgan. The tactic of double teaming the prolific scorer went unrewarded, as Dever made them pay by slicing open the goal circle, and shooting with confidence. In a high scoring quarter in which both teams scored 18 goals, the Firebirds went to the final break leading 56–47.

The Orioles put up a valiant effort in the final quarter with shooters Bassett and Beveridge converting 13 of their 15 scoring opportunities, however the Firebirds attack was proving to be unstoppable. Morgan was fed magnificently by midcourters Lauren Nourse and Karen Clarke, while Dever continued on to produce a show stopping performance.

The confidence in the Queensland attacking line was obvious, as some razzle-dazzle passes were rewarded by goals from Morgan, who was reveling in the service of her teammates. At the end of a game in which all shooters performed admirably, it was the Firebirds who took the points home.

It was a night of celebrations for the Firebirds, whose victory takes them one step further to an inaugural semi finals berth. By contrast, the Orioles season looks to have been derailed by injury, with the loss of key midcourter Helen Aravadis earlier in the week being compounded by tonight’s loss of Australian representative, Jessica Shynn.

The Firebirds will head into next weekend’s clash with the Adelaide Thunderbirds full of confidence, while the Orioles will be hoping for some better luck next week when they take on the reigning champions, Melbourne Phoenix.

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