Amorangi Malesala’s hot hand has crushed the Southern Steel’s playoff hopes.
The Central Pulse replacement goal attack nailed a two-pointer on the buzzer for the Wellington side to snatch a 56-54 victory against the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic on Saturday.
The Pulse needed to win to cement third place and make it through to the playoffs.
That means the Steel — no matter the result of tonight’s game against the Northern Stars in Invercargill — will finish fourth on the ANZ Premiership ladder.
It is a gutting blow for the Steel, who have been much-improved this season and were in with a shot of making the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
But they will take plenty of heart from the season and earn their highest finish since they finished fourth in 2022.
The Pulse now advance to the elimination final against the Mainland Tactix, who finished second, in Christchurch on Sunday.
The Northern Mystics thumped the Tactix 70-56 yesterday to advance straight to the final.
The defending champions earned the week off and will host the final in a fortnight.
