"Do you want to win this game or don't you?"
That was the blunt challenge thrown down by Pioneer coach Pania Haruru to her players at the three-quarter break in their Premier One game against St Matthew's at Colombo Road on Saturday.
Haruru had witnessed her side get off to a solid start, dominating the vital midcourt area through the likes of Jaimie Reiri and Trisanna Campbell, enough to establish a narrow three-goal lead by half time.
However, the students then came into their own and, driven forward through the hard work and determination of centre Maddy Baker and encouraged by more accurate finishing from Charlotte Pope and Emma Stiven, dominated the next spell to the extent that a pumped up St Matthew's could sense a win after establishing an eight-point lead (42-34) by three-quarter time.
With Haruru's challenge ringing in their ears, Pioneer pulled out all the stops and went on to seal the narrowest of victories, 51-50, clinching the win with the very last throw of the game.
The encounter had been as enthralling as the narrowness of the scoreline suggested and the good-sized crowd was fully entertained throughout.
Haruru acknowledged the gritty and determined effort of the students after the game but didn't mince her words regarding her own team's performance.
"That was the worst game we've played all season. Quite frankly, we should have lost," she said.
"We were very, very lucky to escape. We only came to play in the final quarter when the chips were down," she added.
St Matthew's coach Alison Penn was gracious in defeat.
"What a great game. I'm just so proud of my girls. We'll take a lot of encouragement from that performance," she said.
"Pioneer's greater experience won through in the end. They dominated us in that last quarter but up until that time we gave them a good run for their money."
Penn said the whole team effort had taken her charges so close to victory and was reluctant to single out individuals but later conceded the contributions of centre Maddy Baker and goal keep Dushka Warren warranted special mention.
"Their work rate, determination and communication were outstanding," she said.
In the only other Premier One game played on Saturday, Makoura won the battle of the colleges, defeating Wairarapa College 41-36.
The game between Harcourts and Carterton New World Lynx was deferred until Tuesday at the Genesis Centre at 7pm while the Gladstone/Carterton Legends game will be played on Thursday at 7.30pm, most likely also at the Genesis Centre.