It was made to work hard for its 65-61 win over Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic in Rotorua yesterday.
The win was its ninth in a row, but also the hardest fought of its unbeaten run.
For most of the game, there was little between the two teams. Both had to work hard for their goals and replied every time the other got a leg up. In the end, it came down to a handful of crucial periods in which the Steel was able to hammer home its advantage.
The most crucial of those periods came late in the third quarter, when the Steel went on a 7-0 run.
After holding a slim lead for much of the quarter, its defence forced the Magic into several mistakes, which it used to open up the gap.
Jane Watson was again at her disruptive best to force the turnovers, while the duo of Jhaniele Fowler-Reid and Te Paea Selby-Rickit cashed in at the other end.
At one point, the score reached 51-44 before the Magic scored to make it 51-45 going into the final break. A strong start to the fourth quarter saw the Steel extend that to 59-50, before it became sloppy towards the end.
While the Steel never looked in danger of losing - the Magic never got closer than four - it made for an exciting finish as the Magic sealed a bonus point.
Fowler-Reid finished the game with a slightly below-average 49 goals from 56 attempts.
But it was her nine rebounds that proved most important. That was the difference in the goal attempts the two sides had, the Steel putting up 77 shots to the Magic's 68. It was the defining factor in the game, ensuring the Steel maintained the advantage despite shooting at 84% to the Magic's 89%.
Casey Kopua and Kelly Jury did an otherwise good job on the defensive end, but the rebounds ensured that did not translate to the scoreboard.
Meanwhile, Magic goal shoot Lenzie Potgieter was accurate in making 46 from 49. She did well to get free close to the hoop and gave her feeders a target from both close and long-range.
An intense opening period saw the teams operate in a clinical manner. Twice the Magic pulled out to a two-goal lead, but both times the Steel immediately hit back with two goals of its own.
A Jane Watson intercept 10 minutes in was key to getting the Steel its first advantage, which saw it take the lead. That helped it jump to 13-11 and eventually extend the margin to 18-12.
The Magic pulled back one, to go into the first break down 19-14.
But it did not lie down.
The Steel found itself having to fight a momentum swing as the Magic got the better of the second quarter.
Thirteen minutes into the quarter, the Magic took back the lead 32-31, before a key intercept helped the Steel take a 33-32 advantage into halftime.
The Magic's defensive duo of Kopua and Jury did a good job of disrupting the Steel's play as errors crept into its game.
The Steel was able to absorb the pressure in the end, though, notching its ninth win to go to 18 points at the top of the table.
It now has nine days off: its next game is on Wednesday, May 24 in Porirua against the Central Pulse.
The South Beko League team had a 63-53 loss to Waikato-Bay of Plenty.
