Magic 59 Steel 57The Magic have once again proven their reputation as the pluckiest team in the ANZ Championship, pulling off a shock two-goal win over the Southern Steel in the deep south to retain the New Zealand conference title. The homeside weren't winning much back down the other end of the court either, as the Magic, playing with pace and precision, looked unstoppable on attack. Having set the pace in the competition all year to out-point even the top Australian teams, the Steel had their sights set on hosting the transtasman league grand final. The Magic will host the loser of tomorrow night's Australian conference final between the Queensland Firebirds and NSW Swifts, while the Steel now have to travel across the Tasman to take on the top-ranked Aussie side. As they have made a habit of doing in recent seasons, the Magic stumbled through the early rounds of the competition but have found momentum at the right time, dealing the Southern Steel their first loss of the year.

Source: New Zealand Herald July 17, 2016 06:09 UTC