A run from the two Hannahs gave Ajax the leg up it needed.
The duo — Hannah Beede and Matehaere — took over in a dominant third-quarter period to spur their team to a 74-62 win over the South Pac Magic on Tuesday night.
It extended its unbeaten run to 10 matches in women’s club basketball.
Ajax had trailed 38-34 early in the third quarter, when a Matehaere mid-range jump shot from the top of the key sparked a run.
She and Beede did the bulk of the scoring, grabbing momentum and pulling out to a 55-45 lead at three-quarter time.
From there, Ajax never let South Pac back in the game, claiming a third consecutive win this season over its rival.
Beede top-scored with 26 points, another dominant display which must surely have her as the front-runner for league most valuable player.
Matehaere added 18, while Dre Whaanga was prominent early in pouring 19 points.
However, it was the Magic that had the better of the early exchanges.
Fay Fualau-Searle (11 points) opened the game with a three-point play, before Sereana Rokotakala (18 points) hit from deep.
Letitia Mullaly (11 points) followed up by finishing in close, taking the Magic out to 8-0.
That became 12-3 shortly after, when Mullaly finished under the hoop again.
At that point, Beede and Whaanga began to get going, before Ajax pulled to within one on a Cora Chapman mid-range jumper.
Mullaly and Fualua-Searle continued to score inside, keeping the Magic ahead until halftime.
However, at that point Beede and Matehaere took over the game, pulling Ajax ahead to run out the winner.
In Tuesday’s other game, Varsity beat the Andy Bay Falcons Tahi 65-55.
The game remained tight throughout, before a 9-2 fourth-quarter run from Varsity allowed it to open a gap.
Sophie Adams led Varsity with 20 points, while Brittany Richards had 23 for the Falcons.
On Monday night, the Falcons Tahi avoided a major upset from Falcons Rua in a deferred match, edging them 75-71.
Madi Loudon drew the Rua to within one point on a layup, making it 72-71.
However, Richards (18 points) finished in the post to pull back ahead for the Falcons, before getting to the line late to seal the win.
Annabelle Ring top-scored for the Tahi with 20 points, while Erica Blundell led the Rua with 19.
