So who were the movers and shakers on day two of the second WBC tournament of 2014 being held at the Alan Brewster Centre, Papatoetoe?
Gold Rush Otago and Auckland/Counties Manukau Lady Hawks certainly came away with smiles, so did the Junior Tall Ferns as all three registered a couple of wins. The Hawks eased past Canterbury Wildcats 64-84 in the morning but in the afternoon had a much tighter encounter against Waikato Wizards.
The two teams shared top billing both boasting a 4-1 record starting the game. With 4:46 remaining Waikato just trailed 49-44 and was in with a chance of toppling the favourites. However their shooting went cold at a key time and the Hawks went on a 10-0 run to secure the victory 59-47.
Nevertheless the Wizards, and other teams for that matter, will recognise that the Hawks are beatable. Later in the day the Wizards beat Waitakere Lady Rangers 67-50.
The Rangers staring down the barrel of exclusion from the top six and the play-offs secured a vital win against Nelson Sparks 55-50. Earlier in the day the Sparks had upset Harbour Breeze 64-55.
The Wildcats also finished the day with a 1-1 record overcoming Capital Flyers in a tight one 64-60.
The big losers on the day were Harbour Breeze, and Rotorua Vols. The Breeze, having lost to Nelson earlier, succumbed to the Otago Gold Rush in the final round of the day 62-49.
The Vols were beaten by the Junior Tall Ferns 68-36 but because it was a non competition game, the Vols are accorded the points. JTF’s coach Brent Matahaere will be pleased with his young charges. The Ferns have chalked up three wins over the two days. The victories do not count for competition points but they do assist the team as they build collective cohesion and confidence.
Overall standings after day two. There are two further rounds to be played on Sunday.
6-1 Auckland Counties Manukau Hawks
5-2 Canterbury Wildcats, Waikato Wizards, Gold Rush Otago
4-3 Harbour Breeze
3-4 Capital Flyers, Waitakere Lady Rangers, Nelson Sparks
1-6 Rotorua Vols
LACEY LOWDOWN 