The Southern Hoiho have found their groove again, beating the Tokomanawa Queens 82-71 in front of 350 spectators at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin tonight.
It was the boost they needed after losing 86-64 to the Whai in Queenstown at the weekend.
They were strong across the court - and led by more than 15 for most of the game - with four players hitting double figures.
Zoe Richards and Paige Bradley picked up a double-double in their third win against the defending champions.
Richards scored 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Bradley had 14 points and 13 assists.
Ahlise Hurst was a weapon beyond the arc for her 19 points and Ashten Prechtel top-scored with 26.
Captain Samara Gallaher was also a strong presence throughout the game.
The Queens looked strong early, even taking the lead at the end of the first period.
Paris Lokotui had a good outing for the Queens, piling on 17 points and import Chrislyn Carr also starred with 13 points.
Prechtel was kept scoreless and spent most of the opening quarter on the bench after racking up two fouls early.
It gave the Queens the room to play, with Carr’s quick speed exploiting the Hoiho. She was dominant for the visitors, controlling her side and weaving through the gaps to find her way to the hoop.
Their defence was solid, making it hard for the Hoiho to find a clean avenue to the basket.
But Bradley soon did, when she went one way and then the other for the home side to trail 17-16.
The Hoiho took control of the game from the start of the second.
Prechtel finally made an impact, scoring first points and setting up their next. She looked to be finding the hoop, but kept the Queens guessing, swinging it deep in to the corner for Gallaher to bang down a three.
Prechtel bagged the next triple and continued to make her mark.
Bradley kept finding the openings for her players, Hurst and Gallaher banged down some big threes and the Hoiho were out 40-27.
They kept the Queens out of the paint, with Richards picking up the crumbs.
The visitors made too many unforced errors, coughing up easy ball for the Hoiho to run out to a 13-point lead at one stage.
But Stella Beck was a calm head when the Queens needed it, blocking a shot and drilling a nice two-pointer.
Carr hit a big three at the end of the half and the visitors trailed 45-37.
They came out of the break strong too, locking in on defence and keeping the Hoiho scoreless for the opening three minutes.
But once Prechtel bagged a big three and drew the foul - which the crowd and bench enjoyed - the Hoiho were back in the driver's seat.
Hurst, who is almost like the unsung hero of the side, grabbed another three to put the buffer back to 10 points.
That ignited something among the home side, who continued to bang down shot after shot and put them out by nearly 20 points.
The Queens came back, but the Hoiho remained strong to take the game.
Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa
The scores
Southern Hoiho 82
Ashten Prechtel 26, Ahlise Hurst 19
Tokomanawa Queens 71
Paris Lokotui 17, Chrislyn Carr 13
Quarter scores: 16-17, 45-37, 64-49
