The expected tight struggle between Phys Ed B and Southern B did not disappoint, with Phys Ed B eventually prevailing 57-54 in a topsy-turvy premier league match at the Edgar Centre on Saturday.
Phys Ed B won by one goal in the sides' last encounter and got the jump on its rival, opening a 16-12 lead at the first break.
Shooters Sophie Johns and Nicola Wells showed a good understanding of each other's game, while Southern was let down by some sloppy passing in the attacking third.
But some basic errors started creeping into Phys Ed's game and the introduction of Southern goal shoot Melissa Te Huki saw the momentum shift.
Remarkably, there was an 11-goal swing and Southern took a 33-26 lead into the halftime break.
Phys Ed made changes, with Te Huia Taylor coming on at goal keep and Rachel Carr at wing attack, to spark a complete turnaround in fortunes.
Taylor put enormous pressure on the shooters and nabbed her share of rebounds, while Carr added some zip to the midcourt.
Southern kept battling and clawed back three goals in the final period.
Southern A remains unbeaten at the top after its 87-30 win over Columba. Southern used a long passing game to expose the Columba defence and a zone defence to shut down Columba's attacking options.
In the other game, University-Albion A beat College A 44-34.
The game was tightly contested until the last quarter, when University-Albion pulled away.
