It took a huge effort against a dogged South Pac Magic team, though.
They held a slight upper hand most of the way, but it was only in the fourth quarter they broke free for a 69-55 win in the Dunedin women’s club basketball final on Tuesday night.
The title, which Ajax wins more often than not, was their first since 2022.
Yet South Pac played their part in this one.
It was scrappy and both teams had to work hard for their points.
Every time Ajax looked as though they were opening a gap, the Magic hit back to close it again.
In the end, Ajax’s firepower was a little too much. Zoe Richards had 21 points, while Elise Gilbert had 20.
That star duo were key as Ajax extended their 52-48 three-quarter time lead out to 60-51 midway through the fourth quarter — then further after a dry spell from both teams.
On the other side, Tia Pavihi had 17 points for South Pac, while Fay Fualau-Searle added 10.
There was little to separate either side for much of the game.
Ajax took a 17-13 lead after a messy first quarter.
A 9-0 run late in the quarter, sparked by a Hannah Beede finish inside and capped by a Danielle Frost three-pointer, helped open up the first gap.
Pavihi hit a three-pointer to open the second quarter, pulling the Magic back to one.
However, Ajax went on a mini-run and after Shanti Kara hit from deep for the Magic, Samara Gallaher (10 points) responded with a triple of her own to make it 25-19.
Ajax held that lead, which grew to double-digits at 34-24, when Beede finished inside again.
Pavihi intercepted a pass to score in transition, before hitting a three-pointer to pull it back to 37-30 at halftime.
But it was the Magic that came out stronger.
Fualau-Searle finished in the post before passing out to Kara to hit a corner three-pointer.
When Kiana Brown scored in transition a minute later, the score was at 37-37.
Natalie Ivamy hit Richards with a pin-point pass inside, allowing Ajax to stem the flow.
But it remained tight through the whole quarter, and it was only a corner three-pointer from Gilbert that gave Ajax their buffer heading into the break.
It was the opening of the fourth quarter where they did the damage.
Richards finished an offensive rebound and Gallaher hit a pull-up jumper.
Brown responded for South Pac, but Frost got to the hoop and Gilbert hit a shot to make it 60-51.
At that point South Pac started getting the stops to reel it back in — they just could not finish at the other end.
Richards and Gilbert reignited Ajax after a long scoreless period, before the game became safe in the closing minutes.
