LACEY LOWDOWN

The New Zealand Under 16 Men’s and Women’s teams returned from the Australian Under 16 State Championships on Sunday. The teams finished 5^th and 7^th respectively at the eight-day tournament held in Melbourne.

The Under 16 Men won seven of their nine games losing only to the two finalists Victoria Metro and Victoria Country.

The Kiwis led Vic Metro, the eventual winners, by 19 points at half-time on the opening day of competition before eventually losing 83-76 after giving up the lead for the first time in the game in the final 90 seconds.

Lessons were learnt and the boys in black then won their remaining five pool games.

Unfortunately an unconvincing quarterfinal performance against Vic Country meant the Kiwis missed out on playing for medals on the final two days of competition.

Men’s Coach Dave Mackay was left to ponder what might have been.

“My overall feeling is really positive. For most of the tournament we played at the level we prepared for and expected but unfortunately in the quarter-final we just didn’t play our best. We certainly didn’t rise to the occasion unfortunately.

“Except for that performance and the last quarter of the first game we played some very good basketball.

“A positive for us was the comments that we received from some of the Australian people that we were one of the best prepared New Zealand teams they had ever seen at a State Championships, We were certainly taken notice of.

In the past we have usually been well beaten in a couple of pool games and won a couple but not really been in a position to win the tournament. This year we were in the mix to win it which was positive.”

The two games won on the final two days of competition by an average margin of 27 points only served to show how much depth the team had and how much potential they possess.

Southland guard Tom Cowie, Tauranga forward Shalom Broughton and North Harbour guard Mitchell Dance caught the eye with some outstanding individual performances but all ten players had spells of excellence.

Cowie finished in 2nd place on the three-point shooting percentage list in the tournament statistics with a highly creditable 46% (18/39). He was also 3rd on the assists list dishing an average 4.4 per game.

Dance led the Kiwi points scoring finish 6^th on the tournament list with 16.3ppg.

In addition to averaging 10 points per game Broughton was ranked 7^th for rebounding with 8.6 per game.

Under 16 Men – Jared Thornton, Mitchell Dance, Joseph Hylton, Logan McIntosh (North Harbour), Marvin Williams-Dunn (Waitakere), Tom Cowie (Southland), Ezrah Vaigafa (Wellington), Kainoa Lepou (Waikato), Morgan Trott (Taranaki), Shalom Broughton (Tauranga City)

The Women finished seventh with a 5-4 record a position that probably reflected their standing in the competition, the tier just

outside the top two or three teams at the tournament.

Like the Men all the players had their moments in the sun but two players shone brightly when looking at the overall effort.

Auckland Counties Manukau forward Sharne Pupuke-Robati and Waikato guard Charlisse Leger-Walker were simply outstanding.

Shooting the ball a 3^rd best 53% (48/91) in the tournament Pupuke-Robati averaged 12.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per outing.

Her 9.2 rebounds were identical to Leger-Walker and placed them equal 5^th in the competition rankings.

Leger-Walker excelled in other areas leading the assists category (5.7apg), 3^rd in steals (3.3spg) and third in scoring (16.2ppg).

A mention also for North Harbour guard Jordyn Maddix and Waikato’s Ella Bradley.  Maddix topped the three-point shooting list at the tournament, converting 12 from 27, at 43%. Bradley helped fill the void left by Pupuke-Robati in the final two games scoring  27 points across the two games.

Under 16 Women – Charlisse Leger-Walker, Ella Bradley (Waikato), Gracie Hasler-Ewin, Jordyn Maddix, Rashaan Smith (North Harbour), Caitlin O’Connell, Isabelle Cook (Taranaki), Briarley Rogers (Tauranga City), Rosalia Samia (Hawkes Bay), Sharne Pupuke-Robati (Auckland Counties Manukau),

The tournament formed part of the path towards qualifying for the FIBA U17 World Championships.

Mackay explained, “This tournament along with the NZ A tour to Melbourne last month helped showcase the abilities of twenty male and female players.

“All the players, both Men and Women, will have to come back and re trial for a spot in next year’s Under 17 teams that will participate in the World Championship Qualifying Tournament likely to be held in July.”

For the players and coaching staff the World Championship campaign has only just begun.

The New Zealand Men completely dominated South Australia Country in the 4^th/5^th place decider on the final day of the Australian State Championships in Melbourne on Saturday, winning 84-45.

Winning every quarter the Kiwis dominated in every facet of the game. The South Australians were out rebounded 48-24, steals went 16-5 against them and the assists count was 21-10 in favour of New Zealand.

The Kiwis were 18-5 ahead at quarter time courtesy of 8 straight points from guard Tom Cowie that included a couple of threes.

Shalom Broughton took the lead into double figures early in the second and New Zealand met little resistance thereafter.

Cowie (4/6 3PG) made another couple of threes and Marvin Williams-Dunn netted 4 points in the second as the advantage was expanded to 35-16 at half-time.

The Kiwis enjoyed a free scoring second half nailing 49 points in a very comfortable win.

Cowie led all scorers with 24 points, his second 20 plus points haul of the week. Mitchell Dance with 16 points (4/93PG) and Shalom Broughton (12points) also nabbed double figures as all ten Kiwis found the net.

Joseph Hylton (11) and Taranaki’s Morgan Trott (10) led the New Zealand rebounding effort.

New Zealand coach Dave Mackay was pleased with the performance.

“It was a great finish for us with everyone contributing.”

A fifth place finish was satisfactory but safe to say the coaching staff had loftier goals.

“We had a sound tournament but 20 bad minutes across eight games ultimately cost us,” said Mackay, referring to the quarter-final loss to Victoria Country.

NZ Scorers: Tom Cowie 24/5 assists, Mitchell Dance 16, Shalom Broughton 12/7, Kainoa Lepou 8, Joseph Hylton 7/11, Logan McIntosh 5, Morgan Trott 4/10/4steals, Marvin Williams-Dunn 4, Ezrah Vaigafa 2, Jared Thornton 2/6

The New Zealand Under 16 Women met Queensland North on the final day of the Australian State Championships in Melbourne on Saturday in a 7^th/8^th classification game.

The two teams had met on the opening day of the Championships, New Zealand winning on that occasion 79-63. It was a tighter finish this time but the scoreline was still in favour of the Kiwis 61-53.

The Waikato pair of Charlisse Leger-Walker and Ella Bradley paced the New Zealand effort, both contributing 16 points.

Once again forward Sharne Pupuke-Robati was ruled out of the contest due to injury but the New Zealand team coped sufficiently without their leading rebounder tying the count on the boards 41-41.

Bradley scored the first 6 points for the Kiwis and Rosalia Samia a triple as the Kiwis were edged 17-16 in the first quarter.

New Zealand kept Queensland North to just 7 points in a decisive second period won 16-7. A Briarley Rogers three and a pair of Caitlin O’Connell baskets helped give the Kiwis some breathing space at half-time – 32-24 ahead.

Taranaki’s Isabelle Cook and Bradley scored 10 points between them in the third but Queensland were only six points behind with three minutes left in period. A seven points scoring burtst from the experienced Leger-Walker rebuffed the Queensland effort and gave New Zealand a 51-39 three-quarter time advantage.

When Bradley and Leger-Walker stretched the advantage further it appeared New Zealand would cruise to victory but they went scoreless for four minutes allowing Queensland to close to within 5 points, 55-50, with 3:19 to play.

Up stepped Bradley, having her most productive game of the tournament, to score and push the advantage back to 7 points. Jordyn Maddix and Leger-Walker, who played the whole fourty minutes, ensured a New Zealand victory would not slip from their grasp.

The win gave New Zealand a 5-4 record and a seventh place finish in the tournament.

NZ Scorers: Charlisse Leger-Walker 16/13/6, Ella Bradley 16/7, Isabelle Cook 8/6 Jordyn Maddix 5, Rosalia Samia 5, Caitlin O’Connell 4, Briarley Rogers 3, Gracie Hasler-Ewin 3, Rashaan Smith 1

The NZ team were dealt a major blow before the start of their classification game at the Australian State Championships in Melbourne on Friday. Forward Sharne Pupuke-Robati was ruled out of the contest against Victoria Country Women with an ankle injury.

Despite being without the tournament’s leading rebounder New Zealand made a solid start to lead 22-13 at quarter time.

Jordyn Maddix made a couple of threes as she and Charlisse Leger-Walker accumulated 8 points each.

Forward Rashaan Smith made 6 quick points but the Kiwis found their lead wiped out in the second period and entered the half time interval behind 35-34.

Ella Bradley and Gracie Hasler-Ewin restored the New Zealand advantage as both teams grappled for the lead. Rosalia Samia landed a three for the Kiwis but that sparked a decisive 10-2 run from Victoria Country who closed the third 57-48 ahead.

Leger-Walker nailed a three to keep the Vic lead to manageable proportions but a series of missed free throws undermined the Kiwis attempt to make a comeback. Briarley Rogers made a three and Leger-Walker converted her fourth trey of the game but Vic still led 68-57 with just under four minutes to play.

Bradley got it back to 9 points but that was as close as New Zealand got, Victoria Country recording an 81-68 win.

Despite Pupuke-Robati’s absence the Kiwis only trailed the rebounding count 43-39. However making just 4 from 12 free throws and being on the receiving end of a 10-0 blocked shots stat helped consign New Zealand to a loss. The result means the Kiwis will play for seventh and eighth on Saturday, the final day of competition.

NZ Scorers: Charlisse Leger-Walker 20/7, Ella Bradley 11, Jordyn Maddix 8, Rosalia Samia 7/5, Rashaan Smith 6, Briarley Rogers 6, Gracie Hasler-Ewin 4/11, Isabelle Cook 4, Caitlin O’Connell 2

Following their quarter final loss the previous day the New Zealand Under 16 Men were playing-off for places 5-8 at the Australian State Championships on Friday.

Pitched against Queensland South, a team they had beaten by 15 points in pool play, the Kiwis made a sluggish start trailing 12-11 at quarter time and 32-25 at half-time. Mitchell Dance and Joseph Hylton were the best of the Kiwis at the break with 5 points each.

Queensland still led by 9 points past the mid point of the third quarter before New Zealand made its move.

The team’s leading three point shooting exponent Tom Cowie landed a trademark three. The shot prompted an 8-0 run to bring the Kiwis to within a single point, 37-36. Cowie again plus a Williams-Dunn trey kept the margin to one at three-quarter time 43-42.

What had been a tight tussle became one way traffic in the fourth as New Zealand completely dominated the closing period.

Hylton, Dance, Cowie, Shalom Broughton and Kainoa Lepou all made scoring contributions to a match winning 19-3 run.

The 23-7 fourth quarter propelled New Zealand to a 65-15 victory and a play-off game for fourth and fifth on Saturday.

Broughton had a game high 14 rebounds and Cowie a game high 4 assists.

Leading NZ Scorers: Tom Cowie 13, Mitchell Dance 13, Kainoa Lepou 11, Shalom Broughton 8/14, Joseph Hylton 7, Marvin Williams-Dunn 5, Ezrah Vaigafa 4, Jared Thornton 2, Morgan Trott 2

Despite a combined 41 points from Southland guard Tom Cowie (25 points) and Joseph Hylton (16 points) New Zealand Under 16 Men were beaten 79-68 by Victoria Country at the quarter-finals stage of the Australian State Championships in Melbourne on Thursday.

Cowie scored five early points and off loaded a couple of assists to forward Shalom Broughton as New Zealand shaded the first quarter 15-13.

Coach Dave Mackay constantly shuffled his substitutes in the second period as the previously free scoring Kiwis struggled to make baskets. Forward Morgan Trott executed a block and then converted at the offensive end but New Zealand, managing just 12 points in the period, trailed 34-27 at the main break.

New Zealand slipped to 14 points behind early in the third before Marvin-Williams Dunn landed a three to reduce the Vic advantage to eleven, 45-34.

Hylton carried the New Zealand team on his back either side of three-quarter time. The Harbour swingman scored 13 of New Zealand’s 15 points although they trailed 58-49 with six minutes to play.

The next two minutes proved decisive as New Zealand failed to score on four successive possessions allowing Vic to stretch out to a 15 points advantage, 64-49.

Cowie, the Kiwi’s leading scorer on the night, scored 7 late points and Logan McIntosh scored from beyond the arc but it was not enough as New Zealand slipped to a disappointing 79-68 loss.

New Zealand will now play-off for places 5-8 on the final two days of the tournament.

NZ Scorers ; Tom Cowie 25/5 assists, Joseph Hylton 16/9, Shalom Broughton 7, Kainoa Lepou 6, Logan McIntosh 5, Mitchell Dance 4, Marvin Williams-Dunn 3, Morgan Trott 2