McDonald’s Thompson and Whelan Round Nine Recap
Shirley Boys’ just managed to put away a pesky Rangiora High team 63-58. The Spartans needed every one of Sean Kelly’s points, as he scored 23, despite shooting an uncharacteristic 0/7 from deep. Joel Jeffrey had 15 points and two blocks in the Spartan win. St. Bede’s fell to Ashburton 102-60, but had an excellent game from Richi Lugtu (14 points), while Tom Hughes did a little bit of everything as he finished with 12p 13r 6a.
St. Thomas took the number one qualification spot in Division II after beating Hillmorton 70-58. This game was tied at 36 each after two quarters, but STC had an 11-2 run early in the third quarter to grab the lead. Hillmorton was able to cut this to two points early in the fourth, but never able to completely close the gap. Izaac Beever had 23p in the win, while Jacob Sue (17p) and Sam Irving (11p) provided some needed firepower. Hillmorton was paced by Ihaia Kendrew (27p), with Maoluma Sakaria the only other Tiger to hit double figures (10p).
Middleton Grange played their deferred game against Christchurch Girls’ High on July 25, and thanks to a balanced attack, came away with a 69-55 win. Megan Ellis (19p), Aimee Book (16p) and Sofia Kennedy (15p) made up for a relatively quiet game from Lauryn Hippolite (8p). CGHS were led by the duo of Olivia McIntyre and Alana Wouters (14p apiece) and Sapphire Wairau’s 10p.
The playoff picture is starting to clear up in each competition. Division I of the Thompson Trophy Competition has a few spots sorted: Cashmere and Burnside are #1 and #2 respectively. Shirley or Christ’s College will take third and fourth, while Ashburton is locked in as #5. The final three qualifiers are all set to be decided, with St. Bede’s being the only team eliminated. Division II looks similar, with STC, Hillmorton, Papanui, Cathedral College and Kaiapoi locked into spots one through five. Riccarton, Ellesmere, and Hornby will take spots 6-8 in some order, while Linwood and Lincoln will play for 9th and 10th place.
The Whelan Trophy still has two rounds to play, with only four teams making the semi-finals. So far, only Middleton Grange and Rangi Ruru look particularly safe (but not mathematically guaranteed yet). Division II has three teams qualified. Avonside Girls’, St. Margaret’s and Ellesmere are all safe, while the fourth team will be one of Villa Maria, Hillmorton or Lincoln.
All Results:
Whelan Division I
Ashburton 70-36 Rangiora
Kaiapoi 72-59 Cashmere
Rangi Ruru 83-79 Christchurch Girls’ (overtime)
St. Andrew’s 66-53 Burnside
Whelan Division II
St. Margaret’s 65-49 Lincoln
Ellesmere 52-47 Villa Maria
Avonside 57-41 Hillmorton
Thompson Division I
Shirley 63-58 Rangiora
Burnside 87-54 St. Andrew’s
Ashburton 102-60 St. Bede’s
Cashmere 99-64 Christchurch Boys’
Thompson Division II
St. Thomas 70-58 Hillmorton
Cathedral 106-66 Lincoln
Ellesmere 62-52 Linwood
LACEY LOWDOWN 