The form book flipped on the last night of women’s club basketball’s regular season on Tuesday as the two underdogs upset their higher-placed opponents.
More notably, the South Pac Magic did a job on Ajax, claiming a 71-65 win over the competition leaders who have barely been pushed over the past month.
In the late game, the Andy Bay Falcons beat Varsity 75-67.
While neither has an impact on next week’s semifinals — Ajax will play the Falcons and South Pac will play Varsity — it is a reminder this league can throw up any result.
Three late three-pointers got the Magic over the line in a tight affair after they led Ajax the majority of the way.
Samara Gallaher (20 points) had just pulled Ajax back to within four points with just under four minutes to go.
Shanti Kara (15 points) responded with two triples of her own in quick succession to make it 66-56.
Ajax called timeout, but Tia Pavihi (22 points) hit another three-pointer for South Pac out of it, effectively icing the game despite a late push from Gallaher.
However, through the first half it was largely the Magic’s defence that got the job done.
They contained the ball well and used their help defenders to plug the driving lanes.
That effectively turned Ajax’s dangerous drivers into passers, and forced them to hit three-pointers.
On another night, that might not have worked out. But on this occasion, it came up trumps.
Pavihi and Zoe Richards, who left the game just before halftime, were prominent early in the exchanges.
The third in a quick flurry of baskets to Richards had the score at 9-9, although the Magic defence did well to contain her from there.
Ajax took an 18-16 lead to quarter-time, which the Magic took back early in the second quarter and never gave up.
Pavihi and Kiana Brown (16 points) kept the Magic score ticking over to take a 36-30 halftime lead.
That became a three-possession lead when Mary Salvana hit a corner three-pointer early in the third quarter.
Elise Gilbert (18 points) began getting to the hoop to pull Ajax back.
But a pair of Kara baskets kept Magic ahead, before two quick corner three-pointers to Brown made it 51-40.
That margin remained at three-quarter time, with the score at 56-45.
And at that point it was a long way for Ajax.
They made their push to get within four before the Magic fired from deep to ice the game.
It was an impressive night from the Brown siblings, as Kiana’s sister, Aria, led the Falcons with 24 points in their win.
Abby Harris scored 26 points for Varsity.
