The Mainland Tactix have claimed their first win on home ground in two years, defeating the Northern Stars in the highly anticipated Super Sunday rematch.
In the final game of round three, the Tactix claimed yet another astonishingly narrow 49-48 victory over the Stars at Christchurch's Horncastle Arena.
When the teams last met in round one in Palmerston North, the Tactix claimed an overtime 61-60 victory over the Stars - the first time that an ANZ Premiership match was decided in extra time.
This time, the Tactix remarkably didn't hold a lead until 11 seconds left in the clash, before Ellie Bird slotted the game-winning goal to remind the home fans of that winning feeling.
Goal-to-goal play in the opening quarter of tonight's clash suggested another nail-biting game was on the cards, as both sides showcased promising talent.
Tenacious Tactix defender Temalisi Fakahokotau was quick to snatch every rebound she could get from Stars shooting duo Ellen Halpenny and Maia Wilson.
But Wilson's accurate performance saw the Stars slowly extend their narrow 14-12 first quarter lead to four points at halftime.
Meanwhile, the Stars English import Ama Agbeze made her presence felt in the Tactix shooting circle as Kate Beveridge and Brooke Leaver fought for space.
As the Stars built on their lead, the Tactix scrambled to make a few mid-quarter positional changes, bringing tall shooter Bird onto the court in place of Leaver.
Bird's height advantage gave the Tactix an instant boost as they clawed their way back into the match.
Although the Stars held tightly to their slim lead, the Tactix miraculously reeled off five straight goals, tying up the scoreboard in the final minutes of the game - just in time to score the winning goal with 11 seconds left.
With only four days to rest, the Stars will tip off round four on Sunday when they face their Northern rivals, the Mystics.
Sunday's game will double as the second clash of the newly introduced Northern Challenge Trophy.
The Mystics took the early advantage in the Northern Challenge in round two, when the rare sending off of Stars defender Fa'amu Ioane aided them to a 60-54 victory.
After further investigation, Ioane's send-off was put to a judicial hearing that will conclude later this week.
The investigation will also look into comments made following the match by Stars captain Grace Kara and coach Kiri Wills.
- Cheree Kinnear
