An intercept from Ngatapa goal keep Arna Majstrovic fuelled the underdogs’ offensive play, allowing them to dominate possession and hit the lead, 45-44, in a thrilling third-quarter comeback.
Loss of power at the start of the final quarter turned off the digital scoreboard, which only added to the tension.
High School Old Girls seemed unconcerned, however, as they brought on their winning line-up from Wednesday night’s game against Horouta Gold.
A sharp intercept off Ngatapa’s first centre pass led to a series of turnovers for HSOG.
Ngata fumblesShaken by the driving attack of their opponents, Ngatapa began to fumble, losing the ball in midcourt.
HSOG made the most of these mistakes and their own attacking play, levelling the score at 46-all.
With a resurgence of the formidable Alex Sinclair/Bayleigh Harrison defensive pairing for HSOG, Ngatapa struggled to get the ball to their shooters.
In contrast, HSOG charged ahead to win by eight goals.
This result dashed the hopes of Horouta Gold, who are now out of the top four.
Final points for the end of Round 3 stand at: YMP (1) 45 points; Whangara Old Girls (1) 31; IMS HSOG 28; Claydens Waikohu 27; Horouta Gold 25; Gisborne Girls’ High School Senior A 17; Farmlands Ngatapa 6.
All points will be reset to zero as the teams play off in the semifinals over the next two weeks.
On Wednesday at 7.45pm, the two top-ranked teams, YMP and Whangara, go head to head for a place in the grand final on August 20.
With a place in the final at stake and the last game between the teams only narrowly won by Whangara, Wednesday’s match should be a thriller.
The winners will go to the final, while the losers will play the winners of the third/fourth playoffs on Saturday.
The bottom three teams will play off for fifth, sixth and seventh.
Horouta will play Ngatapa at 6pm on Wednesday night. On Saturday, Ngatapa will play Girls’ High at 9am.
