Mainland Tactix shooter Te Paea Selby-Rickit has won bragging rights over her older sister - and former teammates - as her side prevailed 43-36 win over Southern Steel in round two of the ANZ Premiership.
Te Paea, 28, played with sister Te Huinga, 31, and the Steel for nine seasons, before switching to the black-and-red dress this year. With only one round of the premiership played before coronavirus lockdown, the siblings finally tested their competitive relationship for the first time on Saturday night.
The Tactix looked to have the upper hand before even taking the court, with an experienced line-up that featured three Silver Ferns internationals.
The fierce competition between sisters began before centre pass, when Te Paea started at the goal attack for the Tactix and Te Huinga pulled on the goal defence bib for the Steel.
Te Paea didn't allow her older sister's presence to interfere with her shooting touch, landing 12 out of her 14 attempts for 86 percent accuracy and earning Player of the Match honours, after landing a few long shots from just inside the circle.
She showed she had quickly adapted to her new surroundings, communicating flawlessly with fellow shooter Ellie Bird.
International experience sat down the other end of the court as well, where defenders Jane Watson and Temalisi Fakahokotau took control of the Steel shooting circle, making it difficult for them to get close enough to the post to land their shots. Skipper Watson snared three intercepts, along with nine gains.
Tied 20-all at halftime, the Tactix stepped up and applied the pressure during the third quarter, reeling off five straight goals, as Steel shooting percentages started to fall. Going into the last 12 minutes of the game, the Canterbury-based team were up by seven and they maintained that margin down the stretch.
With one win and one loss to their names, the Tactix face a quick turnaround, taking on Northern Stars on Monday night at the Auckland Netball Centre.
