The Phoenix scored a five-goal win over clubmates Apollo Illusion on Saturday before backing up on Sunday and suffering a shock 48-39 loss at the hands of the young Zircons side.

Saturday's game was a high-quality affair, and while Phoenix were never headed they did come under some pressure in the final term.

Abbie Merritt starred for Phoenix as she switched between attack and defence, with some quality shooting backed up by some key intercepts when she moved to the back court.

But her efforts almost came to nothing when Illusion launched a spirited fightback to almost snatch victory in a tense final quarter.

Phoenix established a 16-11 lead during the first term, which Illusion were able to peg back to just three in the second 15-minute period as the teams went to the break with the score reading 27-24.

The third period was crucial as Phoenix's defence stepped up and restricted Illusion to just 10 goals as they took a 41-34 lead into the final quarter.

The margin remained for about five minutes before Illusion, led by some top shooting from Ariah Yeo, slowly but surely started to reel in their rivals.

With just three minutes on the clock the score was 49-48 to Phoenix before they re-settled and scored four straight goals, which in the end proved crucial as they finished with a 54-49 result.

The confidence taken from the result on Saturday deserted Phoenix on Sunday as Zircons capped off a hugely successful weekend with a surprise win.

The Apollo Zircons side, made up mainly of junior representative players, beat bottom-of-the-ladder Fusion 46-31 in a routine performance before defeating Phoenix on Sunday morning and moving up to third, one point behind Phoenix, in the process.