There was heartbreak and no place in a final waiting for the Otago Goldrush in Porirua last night.
The Goldrush led the Waikato Wizards by one point with less than a minute remaining but the captain, Janet Main, missed two critical free throws.
Waikato rebounded the ball and swung on to attack. Rhaiah Spooner-Knight got free in the paint, made a lay-up and drew a foul. She added the extra to seal a dramatic 61-59 win and help earn her team a spot in the final of the Women's Basketball Championships.
Waikato will play the winner of late semifinal between Hutt Valley and North Harbour.
The Goldrush will play the loser in the playoff for third.
Coach Brent Matehaere was bitterly disappointed but said his side showed a lot of character to claw its way back after a shocking first half.
The Goldrush managed just six points in the first quarter and 10 points in the second period. It trailed 27-16 at halftime but outscored Waikato 43-34 in the second half.
''We just failed to hit our shots or get into any rhythm on offence,'' Matehaere said.
''We were slow and we weren't getting the ball to our options near the basket. We got into a situation where we were taking outside shots we weren't hitting.
''The only thing that kept us in it was fantastic defence.''
Spooner-Knight led the scoring for Waikato with 17 points and Veshae Asaua-Wilkinson added 16 points.
American Kali Bennett top-scored for the Goldrush with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Samara Gallaher and Rita Szamosi bagged 12 points apiece.
The Goldrush was without dual cricket and basketball international Suzie Bates, who was committed to a fast bowler's camp in Christchurch.
