LACEY LOWDOWN

Photo courtesy of Chris Abdon

In the latest round of the Auckland Secondary Schools Girls Premier competition Mt Albert Grammar preserved their unbeaten record, Auckland Girls Grammar lost theirs and there was a first win for Carmel College.

Carmel, paced by 31 points from Tayla Dalton, were too good for Orewa College winning 70-46 at Rosmini College gym on Monday night.

Megan Hoare scored a couple of early baskets for Orewa but Dalton had logged eleven by the quarter time break as Carmel led 13-11.

Emily Broomfield made her mark in the second netting 8 points, a period dominated by Carmel, as they extended their lead to 36-16.

Arianna Henare was prominent for Orewa after the break but Dalton kept finding her way to the basket as Carmel led 56-32 at three-quarter time.

Henare and Hannah Wentworth landed threes then a neat inside basket from Holly Kagan-Downer took Orewa on an 8-0 run.

Dalton put an end to that with a brace of scores, Broomfield and Carmen Haybittle added another couple, and Carmel had a deserved first win of the season.

Score: Orewa 46 – Henare 16, Hoare 10, Wentworth 8,

Carmel 70 – Dalton 31, Broomfield 11, Cattermole 11, Simpson 9

Mt Albert Grammar remain unbeaten after defeating Rangitoto College 93-51 at home on Monday.

Rangitoto started positively as Bella Elgar and Centaine Noon-Duckworth made baskets but trailed 14-8 at quarter time following threes from Sharne Pupuke-Robati and Jada Manase.

MAGS poured in the points in the second as Trinity Peau and Riana Rangi-Brown combined for 16 to extend the lead to 43-19 at the break.

Peau scored three straight baskets for the hosts, Noon-Duckworth replied with a couple for Rangi but MAGS had eight different scorers in the third period as they finished the quarter with a dominant 69-32 lead.

Tessa Talo-Tomokino and Monica Kelly completed the job for MAGS in the fourth as they moved to the top of the table with a resounding victory.

Score: Mt Albert 93 – Peau 20, Pupuke-Robati 16, Manase 13, Talo-Tomokino 10, Rangi-Brown 10

Rangitoto 51 – Burgess 12, Spooner 11, Elgar 10, Noon-Duckworth 8

In the game of the round Massey High School, trailing for the majority of the game, edged Auckland Girls Grammar 72-69 to end AGGS unbeaten start to the season.

Grammar made the better beginning as Teneva Ropati dropped six early points in a 12-8 advantage.

A couple of Mele Latu triples helped keep AGGS in the ascendancy but a three late in the half from Terina Aratangi kept Massey in touch at half-time trailing 33-30.

More good work from Latu and Ropati helped the visitors but back to back treys from Alyesha Schuster meant it was just a two points lead, 53-51, with 10 minutes remaining.

10 points in the final quarter from Zhanay Hettig seemed to keep Grammar on course for another win but Massey had other ideas.

Shauna Povey knocked down a three, Aratangi made six straight points and Tessa Nikolaison an important free throw, as Massey closed back to within two points.

With the home support right behind them Nikolaison made the go ahead basket, a banked three, with two minutes to play.

Massey held firm against a pressing Grammar defence to clinch an exciting 72-69 win.

Victorious coach Aaron Leslie felt the home support made a difference. “The home crowd were amazing they gave us extra legs late in the game.”

Score: Massey 72 – Aratangi 23, Povey 21, Leslie 10, Schuster 8

AGGS 69 – Mele 23, Hettig 10, Papa 10, T Ropati 10

The fixture between Westlake GHS and Avondale College was postponed.

Premier Standings

 5-0 Mt Albert

4-1 Massey

4-1 Auckland Girls Grammar

3-2 Rangitoto

2-2 Westlake

1-4 Carmel

0-4 Avondale,

0-5 Orewa

Senior A Results

Pakuranga 26 St Mary’s 71

Birkenhead 54 St Kentigern 78

Diocesan v Mt Roskill – result not received

Bye – Epsom

Photo courtesy of Kelly Vivian from Spinnerchild Photography.

A full round of Auckland Secondary School Premier Grade games were played on Monday night.

With wins for all four 2016 top four finishers early signs are that it will be Auckland Grammar, Rangitoto, Rosmini and Westlake fighting over the silverware again in 2017.

Rosmini College, paced by a super efficient 38 points from Mitch Dance, bounced back in style from the defeat at Westlake three days earlier to beat Macleans College 97-88.

Macleans were well served by Alex Arthur and Blake van Uden who combined for 51 points but the greater depth of the Rosmini lineup was the telling factor.

Jayden Boucher and Dance took Rosmini out to 8-2 early on then Joseph Hylton drove through traffic to push the lead into double figures.

A string of fouls presented Macleans with plenty of opportunities from the foul line, chances van Uden and Sai Kuvelkar were happy to accept.

Marvin Williams-Dunne closed the quarter with a long three to extend the Rozza lead to 33-18 at quarter time.

Van Uden opened the scoring in the second and a back door score from Michael Babaran bookended a pair of Dance inside baskets.

Arthur and van Uden kept the score ticking over for Macleans and when the latter converted from yet another trip to the foul line, the home team lead was back to single figures – 45-36.

Taine Murray dropped a triple on the half-time buzzer with Rosmini 52-41 to the good.

Kuvelkar opened the Macleans scoring in the third but Reihana Maxwell-Topia, who had a fine game, made two quick baskets and Dance then landed his second triple.

Kruz Perrott-Hunt found his scoring rhythm and in a flash Rosmini were twenty points ahead, extended to 78-53 at the last break.

The workaholic Arthur scored a couple of times early in the third but when Boucher landed a baseline jumper to take Rozza 86-62 ahead the only concern for the hosts was three players sitting on four fouls.

Terrific ball movement presented Terence Abdon with an open three, which he duly knocked down, as Rosmini were able to run their young bench players in the closing stages.

Score: Rosmini 97 – Dance 38, Hylton 20, Perrott-Hunt 8, Williams-Dunn 8

Macleans 81 – van Uden 27, Arthur 24, Kuvelkar 12, Babaran 7

A poor second quarter proved costly for Mt Albert Grammar as they attempted to upset unbeaten Rangitoto College.

It was 17 points apiece at quarter time before Rangitoto led Zac Te Puni, Harry Payne and Harry Clarke put the foot down in the second to stretch out to 44-25 at half-time.

Forwards Jonty Vink and Te Akau Pumipi helped the hosts recover in the third, one it won in convincing style, to reduce the arrears to 55-46.

Ryan Laumatia kept the chances of an unlikely comeback alive but the experienced Cam Stone and Te Puni helped Rangi to a fourth straight win.

Score: Mt Albert 62 – Laumatia 14, Luamanuvae-Su’a 11, Vink 11p/11r, Baledrokadroka 9

Rangitoto 70 – Te Puni 15, Clarke 12, Payne 11., Stone 11

It was only in the final quarter that Auckland Grammar were able to shake off persistent Kelston Boys.

Grammar made the better start with six straight points from Leroy Brown carrying his team to a 19-11 lead.

Matangi Prescott – 10 points in the quarter – and Kale Lawson led the Kelston revival in the second period. But for a strong showing by Anzac Rissetto Grammar could have fallen behind but instead shared the spoils at the break, 34 points apiece.

Forward Tom Higgins scored 12 straight points either side of the break as Grammar eased ahead and he found a useful accomplice in Thomas Whyte who landed a couple of threes. However Prescott had another double figure quarter and Kelston remained well in the contest at three-quarter time trailing 61-57.

Grammar put the clamps on the Kelston offence in the fourth and cleared away to run out comfortable winners as they racked up 30 points in the period.

Score: Kelston 65 – Prescott 25, Lawson 12, Mase 10, Milne 9

Grammar – Higgins 23, Rissetto 22, Whyte 10, Winitana 8

Westlake remain unbeaten after something of a topsy-turvy encounter at home against St Kentigern College.

Josh Hidalgo connected early from beyond the arc, one of three he landed on the night, but a combined 14 points from Max Shorter and Tom Chester took St Kentigern out to a 21-13 first stanza lead.

It was a different story in the second as Mark Malinga made his presence felt with 11 points – Jackson Port added half a dozen an the advantage was with Westlake, 46-40 at half time.

Momentum was firmly with the hosts after the break – Malinga and Matt Cairns-Hita dropped triples, Manyere added inside points and the lead was out to 67-49 at the three-quarter break.

A stroll in the last quarter looked on the cards for Westlake but St Kent’s had other ideas. Zac Chan knocked down a triple, Max Shorter, on his way to a game high 30 points did the same and suddenly Westlake were looking over their shoulders.

Kyle Robb chipped in with points to keep the momentum with the visitors but Reuben Fitzgerald steadied things with nine final quarter points as Lake stumbled across the finishing line.

Score: Westlake 84 – Malinga 23, Fitzgerald 18, Manyere 12, Hidalgo 11

St Kentigern 76 – Shorter 30, Chester 16, Robb 12, Chan 9

 Premier Grade Standings

5-0 Westlake

4-0 Rangitoto

3-1 Rosmini

3-2 Auckland Grammar

2-3 St Kentigern,

1-4 Macleans, Mt Albert

0-5 Kelston

Photo courtesy of Kelly Vivian (Spinnerchild Photography)

Mt Albert Grammar and Massey High both boasted unbeaten records ahead of their Auckland Secondary Schools Girls Premier Grade match up on Friday night.

Neutral observers were hoping for a close encounter but MAGS had different ideas as they put together a dominant display winning all four quarters to run out convincing winners.

Despite six opening quarter points from Alyesha Schuster MAGS forged a 22-14 first period lead helped by threes from Jada Manase and Riana Rangi-Brown.

The pair continued to inflict damage on the Massey defence in the second as did Sharne Pupuke-Robati, the lead 52-23 at half-time. Manase led all scorers at the break with 17 points.

Massey were unable to find a consistent scorer to threaten the MAGS advantage, in contrast the hosts had a number of stand outs including Rangi-Brown and Pupuke-Robati who corralled 18 points between them in the third frame.

Shauna Povey and Schuster plugged away for Massey but a Moanekah Va’ai three capped off a dominant MAGS performance in style.

Score: MAGS 101 – Pupuke-Robati 26, Manase 22, Peau 18, Rangi-Brown 17

Massey 53 – Schuster 12, Povey 10, Jost 6, Aratangi 6

Orewa College took an early lead against Westlake Girls High courtesy of a Sophie Emmitt basket although the hosts, led by Emme Shearer, took charge after that running off 13 straight points to lead 17-9 at the first break.

Jordyn Maddix opened term two with an And1 play and followed that with a lay-up from a steal.

Janke Pretorius replied for Orewa but Piper Manolas and Kaia Pola opened the margin to twenty points, Westlake ahead 46-15 at half-time. Shearer led all scorers with 18 points at the break.

Shearer drew a roar from the sizeable crowd after an athletic block and a long three from Rosie Dil solicited more cheers. Further threes from Tabitha Leyson, Maddix and Shearer extended the lead to 76-17 at the three-quarter mark.

Maddix dominated the scoring in the early stages of the fourth as Lake moved to an untroubled 90-18 lead.

A floater from Orewa guard Shevaun Green found nothing but net before Dil capped off a resounding win for Westlake.

Score: Westlake 101 – Maddix 29, Shearer 25, R Dil 18, Leyson 11 Orewa 22 – Hoore 5, Pretorius 5

Despite a combined 47 points from Tayla Dalton and Emily Broomfield Carmel College was defeated 83-60 by Rangitoto College in a North Harbour derby game.

Tyra Campbell and Kaitlin Burgess eased Rangitoto to a 20-12 first quarter advantage. Despite a late basket in the second from Devon Liddell Rangi, fuelled by 8 second quarter points from Burgess were well ahead at the interval leading 40-23.

Bella Elgar scored six straight points to open the third but Carmel produced a strong response courtesy of Dalton and Izzy Cattermole as the two teams traded baskets through the stanza.

Five Rangitoto players contributed eight points or more and that greater scoring threat helped the hosts to a comfortable win.

Score: Rangitoto 83 – Burgess 21, Elgar 16, Campbell 16, Noon-Duckworth 10, Spooner 8

Carmel 60 – Dalton 30, Broomfield 16, Cattermole 4

The score from the Avondale College v Auckland Girls Grammar fixture has not been received.

Premier Standings

 3-0 Auckland Girls Grammar, Mt Albert

3-1 Massey, Rangitoto

2-1 Westlake

0-3 Avondale,

0-4 Carmel, Orewa

Results from Senior A Grade:

St Mary’s 91 Diocesan 25

Mt Roskill 50 Birkenhead 65

St Kentigern 74 Epsom 53

Senior A Standings

3-0 St Kentigern

3-1 Epsom

2-1 St Mary’s, Birkenhead

1-3 Mt Roskill

0-3 Pakuranga, Diocesan

Terrific photo courtesy of Kelly Vivian (Spinnerchild Photography)

The largest crowd of the season was on hand to witness a couple of the Auckland Premier Grade heavy hitters go head to head on Friday night.

It was packed to the rafters in the Westlake Sports Centre as local favourite James Moors scored the first points of the game although Mitch Dance and Kruz Perrott-Hunt opened up a slim 6-2 lead for the visitors. Perrott-Hunt was forced to the bench with a second early foul but Marvin Williams-Dunn twice hit threes to open a 12-4 lead for the visitors.

A couple of steals and a Thabo Manyere dunk brought the home crowd to its feet, his athleticism troubling the Rozza defence. A late Reihana Maxwell-Topia basket edged Rosmini ahead 20-18 at quarter-time.

A pair of Reuben Fitzgerald drives restored the Westlake advantage 24-23 but Matt Sokol replied with a brace himself as the lead changed hands on numerous occasions in the second.

Another Manyere dunk – another lead change – Rosmini coach Matt Lacey called a timeout – 31-30 with 4:07 left in the half.

Dance made a couple of inside baskets on the resumption but five straight points from the Moors carried Lake to a 41-35 half-time lead. The Westlake swingman led all scorers at the interval with 15 points.

A Manyere flush opened the second half but shortly after was forced to the bench with a third foul. However Westlake continued to puncture the Rozza defence via Moors and Fitzgerald and opened a 52-45 lead.

Peter Jenkins and Dance responded for Rozza to reduce the lead to two points, 52-50, Zac Fitzgerald needing a timeout mid third term in the third.

Manyere scored on his reintroduction although Peter Jenkins kept Rozza in touch, down 61-56 at three-quarter time.

Both teams struggled to score in the early stages of the fourth before Moors and Mark Malinga took the Westlake lead to ten points (66-56).

A Maxwell-Topia jumper and a Dance floater helped Rozza but the visitors were finding it increasingly difficult to score – Moors, Manyere and Lucas Mennenga ensuring no second chance opportunities were on offer a feature of Westlake’s defensive play that would have impressed on-looking Lake alumni Jack Salt.

Fitzgerald had the hot hands and his 10 straight points, including a brace of threes, took Lake to a commanding 78-62 lead with 3:40 to play.

Rosmini were unable to threaten in the closing minutes, Westlake easing to a convincing fourth straight win, 82-64.

Score: Westlake 82 – Moors 24/11r, Fitzgerald 21, Manyere 17, Malinga 9

Rosmini 64 – Williams-Dunn 16, Dance 13, Sokol 10, Maxwell-Topia 7

Despite 20 points from Kelston power forward Kale Lawson, Mt Albert Grammar was able to get a first win of the season, protecting home court advantage, to record a 77-55 win.

Both teams entered the game with 0-3 records but it was MAGS, courtesy of six points from Mandela Baledrokadroka that made the more promising start leading 16-5 at quarter time.

Things improved greatly for Kelston in the second stanza as Lawson found his range. A brace of buckets from Clarke Aiono kept MAGS in the ascendancy, 27-22 at the break.

Threes from Ryan Laumatia and Lawson plus a handy six point contribution from Xjana Luamanuvae-Su’a kept the visitors at bay as MAGS took a 50-40 advantage into the final period – Kelston well served in the period by To’o Mase.

A strong fourth quarter performance from guard Matangi Prescott hinted at a Kelston revival but 10 final quarter points from Luamanuvae-Su’a sealed the deal for MAGS.

Score: MAGS 77 – Luamanuvae-Su’a 15, Baledrokadroka 15, Laumatia 13, Te Akau Pumipi 9  Kelston 55 – Lawson 20, Prescott 13, Brooking 8, Mase 7

Tom Higgins reeled off a third consecutive 30 points haul as Auckland Grammar returned to winning ways with a close 75-65 success at St Kentigern College.

Max Shorter drained a couple of early threes for St Kent’s but Higgins and Tony Solomoana combined to give AGS a 17-13 early advantage.

St Kent’s had further success from the land of triples in the second as Kyle Robb and Zac Chan connected from deep. However Rua Winitana responded in kind for the visitors and a couple of inside baskets from Anzac Risetto helped Grammar to a 38-30 lead at half-time.

Ryan Jones had an outstanding third frame for St Kent’s landing 10 points in the period but the combined force of Higgins and Risetto (19 points between them in the quarter) maintained a nine points buffer for AGS at the last break.

St Kent’s captain Kyle Robb kept the home team in touch in the fourth but threes from Teancum McCarthy and Elijah Andrews plus the inside one-two punch of Higgins and Risetto sent the visiting fans home happy.

Score: St Kentigern 55 – Robb 26, Shorter 14, Jones 13, Chan 6

Auckland Grammar 65 – Higgins 35, Risetto 17, Andrews 7, Solomoana 6

Rangitoto College are now three from three after the Harry’s, Clarke and Payne, combined for 58 points in a high scoring contest against Macleans College.

 The national champions are well versed at performing without some of their big guns and this week was no exception as Dan Fotu, Zac Te Puni and Caleb Langridge were sidelined.

The loss of the experienced trio certainly didn’t hinder Rangi – threes from Payne and Clarke began a first quarter rampage as the hosts raced to a 33-18 lead.

Despite Alex Arthur and Blake van Uden making a couple of baskets each things didn’t improve greatly for Macleans in the second. Jarrod Thornton and Co made light of the visitors defence and were in full control at the interval leading 51-29.

Macleans made adjustments in the half-time break and put together an improved second half performance. Michael Babaran and Sai Kuvelkar assisted Arthur and van Uden with some scoring punch although the result was never in doubt.

Cam Stone waded in with 12 second half points, Thornton and Joon Back also got in on the scoring act but it was Clarke and Payne that caused Macleans most grief.

Score: Rangitoto College 111 – Clarke 32, Payne 26, Thornton 22, Stone 14

Macleans 89 – van Uden 31, Arthur 25, Babaran 15, Kuvelkar 13

Premier Grade Standings

4-0 Westlake

3-0 Rangitoto

2-1 Rosmini

2-2 St Kentigern, Auckland Grammar

1-3 Macleans, Mt Albert

0-4 Kelston

My spies tell me that the Girls Premier Grade make up game from round one between Mt Albert Grammar and Westlake on Monday night was a high quality encounter.

Played at MAGS the first half was extremely tight with the first quarter tied 20 points apiece and the hosts just shading the half 35-34.

Jada Manase, 12 points in the half, and Jordyn Maddix exchanged a pair of threes in that opening half with a late trey from Riana Rangi-Brown keeping MAGS in front. Guard Emme Shearer was prominent for the visitors with a dozen points at the break.

Opposing forwards Sophie Dil and Sharne Pupuke-Robati profited in the paint early in the third but with a couple of late buckets from Trinity Peau MAGS edged to a narrow 55-50 three-quarter time lead.

Shearer scored eight final quarter points for Lake but Peau matched that, Rangi-Brown added six and Monica Kelly iced a MAGS win with a late triple.

MAGS are now 3-0 and join Massey High and Auckland Girls Grammar at the top of the table. The MAGS v Massey match up on Friday should be a good one with both teams in good form. Also on Friday Westlake will host Orewa.

Score: MAGS 75 – Peau 21, Rangi-Brown 16, Manase 8, Pupuke-Robati 12

Westlake 61 – Shearer 22, Davidson 9, Maddix 8, S Dil 8

Premier Standings

3-0 AGGS, Massey, MAGS

2-1 Rangitoto,

1-2 Westlake

0-3 Carmel, Avondale, Orewa

We are only three weeks into the Auckland Secondary Schools Basketball season but already the newly formed Senior A competition is proving a hit.

My only beef, and it’s a minor one, would be the name of the competition. If the top eight teams in Auckland are playing in the Premier grade let’s have the next best eight playing in the Premier B Division, therefore creating A and B Premier divisions and providing more clarity to the structure of the Auckland High School basketball scene.

The Boys competition in particular is throwing up a large number of close games and encouragingly, very few blow-outs.

In week one the teams were feeling their way and there were some one sided encounters but in week two St Peter’s College, Avondale College, Manurewa High and Massey High all recorded victories but the margin was 6 points or less in three of those games.

Moving on to last Friday and the heaviest defeat was suffered by Liston College going down by 20 points to Northcote College although Liston only trailed by three points at half-time.

St Peter’s had to fight for the win against Manurewa eventually winning by 14 with Avondale only just squeezing past Pakuranga College (80-74) and there was an even tighter win for Western Springs College getting past Massey (84-80).

Manurewa dug themselves a hole in the first quarter at St Peter’s giving up 33 points to trail by 17 despite 10 points from Dominic Wallace.

It was raining threes on Manurewa as the hosts converted seven in the period via Christian Fromont, Luke Buckingham and Gerard Boersen.

Manurewa had much the better of the second quarter as Pafe Momoise went to work reducing St Peter’s lead to 41-31 at the break.

Fromont was back in the groove in the third draining another trio of triples (he hit seven in the game) but 6 points apiece from Wallace and Momoise kept the margin at ten points (62-52) at the three-quarter mark.

The same two suspects shared 19 points in the fourth but Boersen, Finlay Morris and Whititera Parata ensured it would be a third straight win for St Peter’s.

Score: St Peter’s 89 – Fromont 25, Morris 21, Boersen 14. Manurewa 75 – Momoise 31, Wallace 29, Alan Alani 9

Photo courtesy of Kelly Vivian at Spinnerchild Photography

Also digging themselves a first quarter hole was Liston College. Like Manurewa they conceded over 30 points in the opening quarter trailing 35-19 to Northcote College.

Miggy Falqueza and Jack Burton were the main beneficiaries of some suspect Liston defence logging 24 points between them in just 10 minutes.

Both would go on to record 30 point games as would Liston’s Dru Leusogi-Ape and he scored 11 second quarter points to drag his team back into the contest – down just three points, 47-44, at half-time.

The third quarter was a scoring frenzy with 66 points amassed in the period. Unfortunately Liston couldn’t maintain the momentum built up at the back end of the first half and they gave up 38 more points as Oliver Hayward and Dylan Courtney supported the good work of Falqueza and Burton.

Daysh Takimoana and Lev Prokefyev each scored 8 second half points for Liston but Northcote were untroubled in the closing stages as they logged a first win.

Score: Northcote 111 – Falqueza 36p/12r, Burton 35, Hayward 13p/16r, Courtney 12 Liston 91 – Leusogi-Ape 30, Prokefyev 13, Takimoana `12, Saxon 9

Senior A Standings

3-0 St Peter’s

2-1 Avondale, Manurewa, Western Springs

1-2 Northcote, Pakuranga, Massey

0-3 Liston