Teenage shooter Grace Nweke has guided Northern Mystics to their first championship title, with a 61-59 victory over Mainland Tactix in the ANZ Premiership final.
Founded in 2007 to contest the newly formed trans-Tasman competition, the Auckland-based franchise had gone 14 years without celebrating success, but finally have broken that duck with an all-the-way win over their South Island rivals.
The Mystics struck early, building a five-goal advantage during the opening quarter and stretching that to seven soon after halftime, before their opponents clawed their way back into the contest.
Three unanswered goals early in the fourth period restored a five-goal edge that proved vital down the stretch, as the Tactix could not quite bridge the gap.
As the game's dominant scorer, Nweke converted 58-of-62 attempts on goal (94 percent), overshadowing Tactix counterparts Ellie Bird (38/44, 86 percent) and Te Paea Selby-Rickit (21/30, 70 percent).
The southerners actually attempted more shots, but could not match Nweke's reliable performance.
"It was so amazing to get that win and have the game be over," says Nweke. "We spoke about how nothing changes and this was just another game for us.
"We knew we had the gameplan to win."
Most Valuable Player honours went to Mystics midcourt Peta Toeava, who led both sides in circle feeds (41) and goal assists (33), while the introduction of Tayla Earle for veteran Bailey Mes in the starting line-up ensured smooth service for Nweke.
Based on their premiership performances, several players will have improved their chances of Silver Ferns selection, when coach Dame Noeline Taurua names her squad to contest the Constellation Cup against Australia on Tuesday.
