The visitors led for most of the game but lost momentum in the second half.
The Hoiho emerged 95-86 winners. Coach Todd Marshall felt it was a show of character.
"It was a tough game," he said.
"Auckland did everything they could to make it tough.
"I’m pretty proud of the way we got back into it."
Midway through the second quarter, the lead had ballooned to 19 and the game was slipping away.
Marshall called a timeout and the Hoiho ground their way back into the contest.
They cut the lead to eight points by halftime and trimmed another five points off the margin to go into the final period with the game hanging in the balance.
Claire Jacobs top-scored with 20 points, but Rebecca Pizzey led the charge.
She banged in 19 points, collected 13 rebounds, made eight assists and nabbed four steals.
Two more assists and she would have clocked a rare triple-double.
It is a score sheet the Tall Fern ought to frame and hang on the wall.
"I’m not surprised. She just understands the game really well, and she can direct people on the court," Marshall said.
"With her and Paige [Bradley] doing that on the court, it makes a huge difference."
Abigail Curtin poured in a game-high 25 points for the Kāhu and Tahlia Tupaea added a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists.
The Hoiho scored in the opening seconds. Centre Jessie Edwards swatted the tip-off to Bradley and the point guard scampered her way to the hoop for a lay-up.
Jacobs followed up with a bucket and a three-pointer.
But the visitors quickly took over through Lauren Mansfield (16 points), Tupaea and Curtin.
They led 32-22 at the first break.
The Kāhu speared a couple of early triples early in the second and opened up a large gap.
Marshall’s timeout broke their hold on the game.
The Hoiho closed to within 51-43.
The third period got off to a slow start. Jacobs connected with a triple to break the lean run and Bradley tossed in one from Green Island to beat the shot clock.
That brought a roar from the small crowd of 300 or so.
Pizzey swished a three-pointer during a 7-0 run at the start of the final period.
The Hoiho had recaptured a lead which looked awfully vulnerable until Lillian Dart and Jacobs landed triples with time slipping away.
In the Rapid League game, Hoiho small forward Eva Langton popped in a lay-up with three seconds remaining to clinch a tense 36-35 win against the Kāhu.
On Saturday, the Whai beat the Mainland Pouākai 102-93 to move to the top of the Tauihi standings. Former Hoiho star Laina Snyder poured in 30 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and made six assists in a stunning performance.
Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa
The scores
Southern Hoiho 95
Claire Jacobs 20, Rebecca Pizzey 19
Northern Kāhu 86
Abigail Curtin 25, Haliegh Reinoehl 16
Quarter scores: 22-32, 43-51, 67-70
