A pair of corner three-pointers ignited the City Rise Bombers.
By the time the St Kilda Saints responded, the defending champions were essentially out of reach.
The Bombers claimed a 77-69 win over the Saints in the Dunedin men’s club basketball game, a 23-6 run spread between first and second quarters proving the key period.
Ben Hoskin had 23 points, leading a Bombers team which turned defence into offence, wreaking havoc in transition early in the game.
While they were not prolific from beyond the arc — they only hit five triples — it was two three-pointers from the same spot that gave Bombers their leg up.
Matt Brien (nine points) was the playmaker both times, first finding Elijah Smiler and then Patrick Tipene open in the right corner.
Both delivered to make the score 18-12, creating separation after an even opening.
At that point the Saints offence also dried up, struggling to generate good shots and lacking a penetrative presence.
The Bombers made full use of their stops, pushing the ball and generating the majority of their scoring in transition.
Hoskin and Tipene were key in that period, as was Nikora Kavanagh, who had a mini-run of his own during the stretch.
The score had reached 35-18 before Ethan Martin (20 points) showed some fight to pull the Saints back in touch.
He scored inside several times to make it 36-28, before triple from Ben Foote left St Kilda trailing just 40-33 at halftime.
But margin became four early in the third quarter, as Max Foote (12 points) hit a three-pointer of his own.
That was as close as the Saints got, though.
Bombers forward Joseph Matalanga (12 points) became a presence in the paint, while the Saints offence flat-lined once more.
That extended the Bombers lead to 52-38, and while the Saints continued to fight, notably through Lawson Morris-Whyte (17 points), they never truly got back in touch.
The Bombers continued to make the most of their transition opportunities, leading 58-50 at three-quarter time, an eight-point margin they retained at the final buzzer.
It underlined their status as most likely challengers to what is emerging as a hot favourite Mid City Magic team.
They pushed the unbeaten Magic, before succumbing 90-83, in a midweek round in which most of the local Otago Nuggets played, on Thursday evening.
Matthew Bardsley and Caleb Smiler had 20 and 18 points respectively for the Bombers.
However, the Magic trio of Mac Stoddart (26 points), Patrick Freeman (19 points) and Dallas Hartmann (17 points) ultimately had too much.
The Magic backed that up with a 112-88 win over Varsity on Saturday, Ieremia Morris leading with 25 points.
In Saturday’s other game, Victor Christof had 29 points as the Mid City Lions claimed an overtime 95-90 victory over the Andy Bay Falcons.
In other games on Thursday, the Falcons beat Varsity 88-83 to claim their first win, while the Saints beat the Lions 83-66.
