The Southern Hoiho posted an 80-73 win over the previously unbeaten Tokomanawa Queens in Dunedin on Saturday afternoon.
The Hoiho strung together plenty of moments for the highlight reel.
Influential point guard Paige Bradley (20 points) hit some clutch points down the stretch, Lillian Dart (11) provided a spark from the bench, Rebecca Pizzey (13) got some traction under the rim, and both Claire Jacobs (15 points, seven rebounds, six assists) and Taylah Simmons (11 points, six rebounds, five assists) made positive contributions.
But the home side also had to get down and scrap, and it was not always a pretty watch.
The third quarter was one for the purists.
Neither side could get the ball to drop very often.
Hoiho coach Todd Marshall felt it was a highlight in a perverse kind of a way.
"The third quarter was still important," he said.
"Even though it was a bit of an ugly battle, we got through it and came out the other side.
"I know we didn’t score a lot, but we made it hard on them as well."
Importantly, the Queens were not able to make much of a dent in the Hoiho’s halftime lead of 51-43.
Bradley took over in the dying stages, and a crowd of about 300 fans were rewarded for their patience.
"Oh, that was just crucial. She’s a player who knows her game so well."
Jacobs opened the scoring for the Hoiho. She cut to the hoop and made an open lay-up.
Jessie Edwards and Pizzey got some space on the inside early as well.
But the Queens were matching the home team for points. Penina Davidson top-scored with 22 points and was dominant in the opening period.
Jihyun Park (17 points) nailed a fade-away jumper to net a three-pointer. It was a classy shot made possible by a nice cut across the court.
Zoe Richards and Simmons responded with triples, but the Hoiho went into the first break trailing 28-24.
Queens guard Paige Burrows poked in a three-pointer to open the second period.
The Hoiho conceded a technical foul when they fielded all five imports briefly. Under the rules, you have to have at least one local on the court.
Dart found her range from out wide and Bradley dropped in a three-pointer from the top of the key as the home side opened up a useful gap midway through the second.
Simmons got a two-handed rugby-style pass to Pizzey, who completed the lay-up.
The Hoiho outscored the Queens 27-15 to snatch what proved a decisive lead.
Both sides fired a series of blanks in the third.
The barren run was broken only by a trickle of points.
The Queens edged the Hoiho 12-11 and trailed 62-55 with 10 minutes remaining.
Richards backed her way to the hoop for a bucket to start the fourth.
The game remained firmly in the balance. All it would take was a run, and Bradley delivered.
She drilled a three and gave a first pump in the direction of Dart, who provided the assist.
Dart celebrated a triple of her own moments later.
It gave the Hoiho some breathing space, but the visitors closed to within one point with under a minute remaining.
Samara Gallaher got limited minutes but made an enormous play. She got up and grabbed an offensive rebound. Bradley used the possession to spear a three.
That was the victory sorted and she iced it with some late free throws.
The Queens won the Rapid League game 30-28.
Tauihi league
The scores
Southern Hoiho 80
Paige Bradley 20, Claire Jacobs 15
Tokomanawa Queens 73
Penina Davidson 22, Jihyun Park 17
Quarter scores: 24-28, 51-43, 62-55.
