Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel squandered a 12-goal lead and just scraped home with a 50-50 draw against the Queensland Firebirds at its Pre-season Tournament in Queenstown tonight.

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Steel's cause was not helped by experienced shooters Daneka Wipiiti and captain Megan Dehn both leaving the court nursing injuries.

Steel stormed out of the blocks, racking up a healthy 18-9 lead after the first quarter. Their A feisty defensive effort denied the Firebirds possession and the Queensland side struggled to feed shooting maestro Romelda Aiken as a result.

The home team's dynamic display was marred by the loss of Wipiiti following a nasty blow to her ribs. However, young replacement Julianna Naoupu was solid.

Staring at a 12-goal deficit, the Firebirds switched gear and slotted nine in a row to put themselves back in the game. Their formidable defensive pairing of Amy Steel and Clare McMeniman were particularly impressive.

Ahead 29-25 at half-time, Steel maintained their advantage heading into the final stanza. But the loss of Dehn with seven minutes remaining was costly. The Firebirds pounced and Aiken levelled the score in the final seconds.

Earlier in the day Steel defeated Central Pulse 64-53. Steel's injury woes led coach Robyn Broughton to enlist team physio Jenny Ferguson at goal defence, and she was certainly not out of place on the court.

Initially forced to play catch-up, a scoring spree late in the first quarter enabled Steel to draw level 16-all and the momentum continued into the second spell, despite the best efforts of Pulse defender Katrina Grant, who worked hard to claim the scalp of her former team-mates.

Steel stretched their buffer to 32-26 at half-time and led 47-42 heading into the last quarter. While Pulse pushed back to within five goals, the home team was never in danger.

Wipiiti was a standout, nailing 49 of her 52 attempts, and goal attack Megan Dehn also impressed with 15 from 17 for a combined strike-rate of 92 percent.

The Northern Mystics came frustratingly close to toppling the Queensland Firebirds earlier in the day.

The yo-yo nature of the scoreline was evidence of a hotly-contested battle. Every time the Mystics managed to edge in front, the Firebirds clawed their way back into the game, especially when it mattered most - the final whistle.

After leading 15-14, the Mystics were on the back foot 27-30 heading into the second half and, despite a gutsy effort, narrowly lost 61-62.

Traditionally a shooter, Kayla Cullen showed considerable potential in the defensive ranks alongside import Althea Byfield, who proved a worthy opponent for shooting maestro and Jamaican team-mate Romelda Aiken.

Life didn't improve for the Mystics, later losing 42-60 to Canterbury Tactix. Tactix enjoyed a successful day, also dominating the Australian Institute of Sport 57-43 after leading 28-18 at half-time. Pulse later demolished the Australian youngsters 65-33.