The City Rise Bombers withstood a furious comeback to move themselves a step closer to a top-four spot.
They led the Falcons by 16 points with four minutes remaining, although were forced to defend a final possession with a three-point lead.
That proved successful and leading scorer Maika Shortland iced the game at the foul line, the last of his 28 points clinching a 92-87 win in Dunedin men’s club basketball on Saturday.
The Bombers did their damage through the third quarter.
Shortland came to life early in that period, while forward Robbie Coman (23 points) was influential in exploiting the Falcons’ small-ball line-up.
But it was the Falcons’ inability to score that opened the gap.
They managed just eight third-quarter points, struggling to finish at the hoop and unable to hit from deep.
That had not been a problem until that point.
They led 51-47 on the back of a thrilling first half, in which both teams played to a high level and did not let either get away.
Falcons duo Matt Pyper (23 points) and Sam Senior (25 points) had been key through that, showing their ability to score from outside, while Senior’s floater was a constant problem for the Bombers’ defence.
Coman’s strength down low generated a quick scoring run, before the Falcons countered it, while AJ Auld-Beverley (11 points) hit the first of three triples to pull level just before the break.
The Bombers gained the upper hand in that dominant third quarter, and shot out to a 78-59 lead early in the fourth.
They seemed to be cruising to victory as they held an 86-70 lead with four minutes to play.
However, as Coman and Olly Smith picked up their fifth fouls, the Bombers were left without two of their stars down the stretch.
The Falcons lifted on defence, spurred on by three quick-fire charges, two of which resulted in Coman’s final two fouls.
They started applying full-court pressure to a Bombers backcourt which began turning ball over.
Pyper and Senior both took over, while Waitaki Boys’ High School pupil Toby Lewis (12 points) also generated key baskets late.
The Falcons trailed by nine inside the final minute, when two quick three-pointers from Senior, and a three-point play from Pyper, pulled the score back to 89-87.
Jordan Perez was fouled in the backcourt and hit a free throw to extend the Bombers’ lead to three, before getting the stop they needed to deny the Falcons a final game-tying shot.
In the day’s middle game, the Mid City Magic fell behind 22-4, but bounced back to beat the St Kilda Bullets 94-85, led by a 21-point effort from Joe Ahie.
In the late game, Oscar Hickey had 26 points as the Magic Lions beat Varsity 109-67.
One week remains of the regular season, the Magic, Lions and St Kilda Saints all confirmed for the top four.
The final spot remains up for grabs between the Bombers and Falcons.
