Jamaican superstar Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard delivered another shooting masterclass with a perfect 57 goals from 57 attempts to guide the West Coast Fever to a gritty 69–63 victory over the Melbourne Mavericks in Round 10 of the Suncorp Super Netball League at John Cain Arena on Saturday.
The victory marked Fever’s eighth consecutive win since the return of their five-time league MVP, as they solidified their place as serious title contenders and maintained pressure on the table-topping NSW Swifts, who also sit on 32 points but boast a slightly superior scoring percentage.
Fowler-Nembhard found strong support from fellow Jamaican Shanice Beckford, who contributed eight goals overall—six goals from eight attempts inside the circle and one from two beyond the arc. Olivia Wilkinson added four from five to bolster the tally.
For the Mavericks, it was another Jamaican, Shimonde Jok, who stood out, with 34 goals from 36 attempts. She had support from Uneeq Palavi, who scored 12 goals total, including six from eight at the supershot line, and Sasha Glasgow, who scored three supershots in her eight-goal tally in a late surge.
Despite their spirited second-half comeback, the Mavericks were left to rue a slow start and a rash of unforced errors that ultimately doomed their hopes of a third win.
The Fever controlled much of the first half, as they raced to a 22–15 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 38–27 at halftime. Slick ball movement and flawless execution fed their target shooter Fowler-Nembhard with clockwork precision, as the Mavericks struggled to match their clinical edge.
Jamaica's Shanice Beckford of West Coast Fever gathers possession. (Photos: Getty Images)
Though Mavericks head coach Tracey Neville called an early timeout in the opening term to arrest her team’s sluggish start, it only briefly steadied the ship. By halftime, her side had twice the number of general play turnovers and failed to capitalise on a strong defensive effort led by captain Amy Parmenter.
Momentum briefly shifted after the break. The Mavericks came out with renewed purpose in the third quarter and applied intense midcourt pressure as they made the most of their gains. Glasgow’s buzzer-beating supershot trimmed the gap as they edged the period 17–14 to make it 52–44 heading into the final 15 minutes.
The late charge continued in the fourth, as Palavi and Glasgow combined for a string of long-range conversions to narrow the gap to just a few goals. But the clock proved an unforgiving opponent, and Fever’s composure, led by their Jamaican anchor under the post, ensured they held on for a six-goal win.
Melbourne Mavericks now sit sixth on eight points and will aim to regroup ahead of their clash with Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane. Meanwhile, the high-flying Fever return to Perth for a top-four showdown against the inconsistent Adelaide Thunderbirds.