This time the City Rise Bombers held off the comeback.
Varsity twice pulled back to a one-possession game but could never quite edge ahead of the defending champions.
The Bombers hung tough to run out 85-80 winners in Dunedin men’s club basketball on Saturday.
The win followed a late-game slip-up last week against the Mid City Magic, the only team to beat the Bombers this season.
But this week the Bombers dug in.
Jack Hollingworth put Varsity on his back down the stretch.
He scored 13 of their last 15 points, including hitting a triple to bring them to 73-72, then going on a tear of three quick layups to make it 80-78.
But the Bombers stopped the flow both times, keeping the lead even in the moments when points were not coming freely.
That is not to say they did not score.
Matt Brien had another standout day with 20 points.
He had plenty of support in Harry Townsend (18 points) and Patrick Tipene (17 points), while Elijah Smiler (13 points) and Nikora Kavanagh (12 points) both had strong games.
And that was the core that fired early.
Hollingworth opened with a layup, before the Bombers got to the hoop to go on a 12-0 run to claim their advantage.
Varsity called timeout and Hollingworth responded with a three-pointer and steal into a transition layup.
But the Bombers halted that, as young forward Townsend spun right to finish on one of his several pieces of quality footwork.
Robbie Lawson (16 points) began to heat up for Varsity.
But, again, they could not quite pull them in.
And that was essentially how the game went.
The Bombers led 25-16 at quarter-time, as contributions across the board kept the students at arms’ length.
An even second quarter ensured that margin did not alter too much, before a Bombers run into halftime left the score at 44-32.
That maintained mostly through the third as well.
The Bombers continued getting to the hoop to do damage as a team, while Hollingworth pulled Varsity along, helped with contributions from Lawson and Ryan Pringle.
It left the Bombers with a 69-62 three-quarter time lead, before Varsity made its run.
Brien hit two free throws, before Lawson hit a three-pointer off the dribble and Hollingworth finished off an offensive rebound to make it 71-67.
Bombers guard Smiler banked in from a classy spin move, before Hollingworth made a tough transition layup and followed with a triple off the dribble to make it 73-72.
At that point the game was there for the taking. But after a dry spell for both teams, it was the Bombers that responded.
Townsend and Brien took them on a 7-0 run, and while Hollingworth again pulled the students back, the Bombers held him off.
In the other game the St Kilda Saints beat the Andy Bay Falcons 91-78, Will de Geest leading the Saints with 22 points.
The game between the Mid City Magic and Mid City Lions is yet to be played.
