It was far from vintage netball but the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic pulled off a vital 38-33 win over the Southern Steel in ANZ Championship action in Invercargill on Sunday night.
The Magic spoiled the Steel's unbeaten run at home this year and in the process cementing their place in the top four with two rounds of the regular season remaining.
In one of the lowest scoring matches ever in the competition, crucial late steals by Laura Langman and Peta Scholz and the finishing of Irene van Dyk under the hoop tipped the result the Magic's way.
It was not a pretty game, the low score highlighting the number of turnovers in a mistake-riddled match as the home team came within a whisker of producing a huge upset.
The Magic got the early upper hand after steady and deliberate starts by both teams.
The visitors were able to break down the usually reliable midcourt zone employed by the southerners, breaking it almost at will as easy progress was made to shooters van Dyk and Julianna Naoupu.
Coming back from illness, Frances Solia got the nod at wing attack for the Magic, the nippy mid-courter providing plenty of movement and vision on attack where she ruled the top of the circle with Langman.
At the other end of the court, stifling one-on-one defence by Scholz and Langman killed off many of the Steel's attacking raids.
Confident with their through court play and accuracy under the hoop, the Magic skipped out to a seven-goal lead, prompting a desperate move by Steel as Paula Griffin and Daneka Wipiiti switched shooting positions. However, it was all Magic early on, the visitors heading into the first break with a 12-7 lead.
Steel rocketed out of the blocks on the resumption, strong words from coach Robyn Broughton still reverberating as they set about turning the game on its head. In a complete reversal of fortunes, the Steel lifted into another gear, going on to outplay the Magic across all areas.
More movement from Natasha Chokljat and Liana Leota in the midcourt produced a chain reaction, almost instantly freeing up the circle as Griffin and Wipiiti held sway to pot shots from far and wide.
At the other end, Wendy Frew, Te Huinga Selby-Rickit and Leana de Bruin tightened up defensively to close down the spaces and shut out Magic's attacking options.
The Magic were reduced to just four goals as their possession dried up, the Steel marching out to a 20-16 halftime lead in a stunning turnaround.
Changes were rung by the Magic for the second half, Jamilah Gupwell replacing Naoupu and Jess Tuki taking over from Solia as the intensity and physicality reached new levels. Emotions ran high with every ball contested in a torrid exchange.
The Magic had the better of proceedings, picking off vital intercept ball on defence while also finding more impetus on attack. Heavily marked by the well-performed Selby-Rickit and de Bruin, the irrepressible van Dyk rose to the occasion to extract herself from impossible situations to put the ball through the hoop.
Stretching out to a four-goal buffer, the Magic looked poised to take off but the Steel had other ideas. Finishing with a strong burst, on the back of Griffin's shooting accuracy, the home team ensured a thrilling run home as they teams went to the last break with the scores all tied up at 28-all.
It didn't disappoint, an absorbing final quarter producing long passages of play without a goal being scored as play swung wildly back and forth, frequently breaking down under the intense pressure before the Magic's experienced heads prevailed.
In the earlier match the Melbourne Vixens have given their finals hopes a major boost with a 54-38 victory against the West Coast Fever at Challenge Stadium.
The Vixens moved into the top four with 14 points from their 11 games, two ahead of the New South Wales Swifts, who have a game in hand.
With two games remaining the Vixens' finals hopes remain in their own hands as the play the Central Pulse next weekend followed by a final round showdown with the Swifts.
The Fever are the lowest ranked of the Aussie sides with just two victories all season.
The vixens weren't at their attacking best but still had too much class for the Fever.
The 16-goal victory was the perfect way to bounce back from their heavy 21-goal loss to runaway league leaders Queensland Firebirds on Friday night.
The visitors started the stronger and had a seven-goal lead at the first break, increasing that lead to nine by half-time.
Melbourne lost wing attack Chelsey Tregear to a rolled ankle late in the third quarter but remained in control to claim their third win from four games since losing national team star Sharelle McMahon to a season-ending Achilles injury.