Orange City Craig Harvey Mechanical's dozen-year stranglehold on the Orange Netball Association's Toyota Cup has been broken by the students of Orange High School in a heart-stopping 32-31 buzzer-beating grand final.

A shot from Poppy Keegan on the buzzer put the students up by one point and sent the side into hysterics.

Moments after the game, wiping tears of joy from her eyes, goal keeper Annalise Maier said she felt overwhelmed.

"I mean I don't know, I don't know how to speak," she said.

"We've just beaten the team that's won 12 years in a row in the grand final and we were the biggest underdogs all season.

"We've done it. I can't believe we've just done it."

The City side had a blistering start, with captain Erin Johnstone nailing the first five goals before the Hornets hit the scoreboard through Milly Wilcox, but the students fought their way back to be down by just three at the first break, 11-8.

Hornets' pressure was intense, with the side throwing everything they had at Orange City knowing it was the only way they'd get past the 12-time champions.

Turnovers came quick and fast - both ways - as the Hornets and City's defence across the whole court made attacks forward difficult.

The Hornets had 13 shots on goal in the second quarter to 11, with Millie Wilcox landing awkwardly on her tailbone to end the half with her side down 18-16.

Tegan Dray played centre for Orange City in the first quarter before sitting on the OHS bench for the rest of the game alongside netball royalty in Toot Keegan and Lynne Middleton.

The gap closed again to just one point at the end of the of the quarter, but with Johnstone's radar back on track after poor shooting in the second, the game was on a knife's edge.

And oh boy did it teeter. Orange City were two points up, then Orange High by one. When the buzzer sounded for the start of injury time, scores were locked at 30-all.

Hornets score. City score. Hornets score. Buzzer. All in the space of two-and-a-half heart-stopping minutes before Keegan's granddaughter beat the buzzer by seconds.

Maier said she always knew her side could get there.

"Bloody oath. I knew we could do it, I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. I don't think the spectators really knew it but our team, we really knew. And we just did it," she said.

"It means everything. We're all crying, we're stuffing around, we're just idiots like, we're all so, so happy. There's no other way to describe it."

She said she "can't complain" about her stellar game on the Orange City captain in a grand final win over City - a win her sister Alice had tried for and fallen short of three times,

"I mean look I can't complain, I never really try that hard in games but I threw my whole heart out there today," Maier said.

Johnstone said it was a "bittersweet" feeling on the final siren watching the 12-year streak end, but also being happy for the students she considers "family".

The Orange City skipper shed a few tears during her post-game speech.

"I'm an emotional person, as I said,w e don't like losing, no-one does, but we wouldn't want to lose this grand final to anyone other than High A. They deserved the win today and I hope they enjoy it," Johnstone said.

"I'm gutted for Orange City and our girls but I'm thrilled for High A, they deserved it and they played hard all day, their defence were just phenomenal.

"They really shut us down and confused the space.

"It'll hurt and we'll take a lot from it. I'm not one to dwell on things, we'll come away and come back next year."

She praised the defence of both sides, with Maier and Hornets skipper Tabua Tuinakauvadra "a great combination" which shut down Johnstone and Jodie Annis-Brown.

"We've been shooting 50 and 60 all year, for them to hold us to 31, what can you say," she said.

"Her and Tabua are a great combination, so much height but so much strength as well."