Maybe the one-sided result should not have been a complete surprise.
One team played like it was preparing to head into the playoffs, hosting rights still on the line.
The other looked as though its season was done.
Although it can be easy to say you are still playing to win a game like that, it is not always so easy to get up for it.
That showed as the Southern Steel was well beaten by the Northern Stars 68-49 in Auckland last night.
It followed Sunday’s extra time loss to the same opponent, in which the Stars ended the Steel’s playoff hopes.
The Steel started slowly, its attack end struggling to connect and its defence finding it difficult to get ball off the Stars.
Elle Temu was influential early, the goal defence getting her hands on several feeds, while Anna Harrison was her typical crafty self.
That enabled the hosts to go on a run, holding the Steel to just one goal in an eight-minute stretch, taking a 10-4 lead in the process.
The Steel brought on Sarapheinna Woulf, who helped secure some ball, while Saviour Tui came on to provide a more visible target for the attack.
That helped reduce the deficit to three early in the second quarter.
However, Stars wing attack Gina Crampton began stamping her authority on the game.
She delivered some nice ball into the Stars shooters, helping them back out to 31-22 at halftime.
The Steel did not let that margin grow too much in the third quarter, before the Stars defence stepped up again and helped its team pull away in the fourth quarter.
When it did get the ball to its shooters, the Steel was accurate enough.
George Fisher notably scored at a typically high 94%.
But the team’s 57 attempts was never going to be enough against a Stars team that put up 76 shots, Maia Wilson draining 51 herself.
The win takes the Stars to the top of the table, three points ahead of the Central Pulse and Northern Mystics.
However, those two teams will meet tonight, leaving one likely to take the top spot and the automatic route to the final.
The Steel has one game left, against the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in Hamilton tomorrow.
