South will play Waikato-Bay of Plenty in the final of the under-23 championships but Central can count itself a tad unlucky.
It had set the pace during the first two days of competition but crashed to a heavy 81-55 loss against Waikato at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin last night.
All three sides finished the round-robin phase with 12 points but it came down to goal average and Central's big defeat cost it a place in the final.
Earlier, South had slumped to a comprehensive 79-53 loss to the Australian invitational team in the morning but the match was effectively an exhibition game with no competition points at stake.
Having conserved energy, the home team returned for the evening fixture a much different side, dispatching Mainland 71-45 to clinch a spot in the final.
Steel defensive duo Storm Purvis and Phoenix Karaka were influential, grabbing rebounds, forcing turnovers and suffocating Mainland's offensive forays with tight marking and tenacious defence.
South shooter Te Paea Selby-Rickit was again superb from distance, landing a good percentage of her two-point attempts.
The under-19 tournament has provided an unlikely final, after Manawatu beat Wellington 51-49 in one semifinal. It needed two periods of extra time to seal the win, though.
In the other semifinal, Eastern Waikato upset North Harbour 38-36.
The home team, Dunedin, suffered a heartbreaking 27-26 loss to Wellington in the quarterfinal and was outclassed 59-39 by Auckland 1 in a crossover game.
The best it can finish is seventh, if it beats Hamilton City in its final match today.
The under-23 final is at 3.45pm and the under-19 final gets under way at 2.30pm.
