Harry Payne scored 33 points for Rangitoto v Avondale
In Round five of the Auckland Secondary Schools Boys’s Premier competition it took overtime for Mt Albert Grammar to secure the win against Westlake and in an equally tight encounter Auckland Grammar beat St Kentigern College. There were also victories for Rangitoto College and Rosmini College.
In a thriller at MAGS the hosts held off Westlake Boys to win by the narrowest of margins 93-92 in overtime.
MAGS guard Ryan Laumatia, the game’s top scorer with 28 points, proved to be the difference maker.
After a free scoring game the scores were locked at 84 apiece in regulation but in the extra period scoring became much more problematic. In the end MAGS shaded the additional five minutes 9-8 with Laumatia making five of the points including the ultimate game winner.
Westlake had shaded the opening period 20-19 as Tom Cowie (23 points) and Sam Mennenga (27 points) got into their work.
Laumatia scored 10 points in the second period to give the hosts a 39-37 lead.
MAGS opened up a decent lead in the third thanks to good work from Sataan Tawera and Dakota Stephens who both landed threes – MAGS out to a 70-54 lead.
The lead reached twenty points but any thoughts of a comfortable MAGS win were dispelled by Westlake captain Jackson Port. The shooting guard nailed three triples in the fourth stanza and with Josh Kooiman also chipping in from long range Lake roared back into contention to force the game into overtime.
The dependable Cowie and Mennenga scored all Westlake’s points in the extra period but Tawera, Chayse Pinono and that man Laumatia had the ultimate say as MAGS recorded a third straight win to stay tied second on the ladder.
Mt Albert 93 – R Laumatia 28, C Pinono 16, S Tawera 16, N Wilson 13
Westlake 92 – S Mennenga 27, T Cowie 23, J Kooiman 17, J Port 13
It was an equally tight affair at Grammar where AGS prevailed by a single possession to beat St Kentigern 73-71.
The visitors made the better start, up 26-14 at the first break with Max Shorter (23 points) quickly into double figures.
Anzac Rissetto (24 points) and Ilaisa Tela led the AGS response as they trailed by just four points (40-36) at half-time.
Teacum McCarty (15 points) helped Grammar have the better of the third frame to lead 51-49 at the three-quarter point.
Levic Kerr and Alex McNaught threatened to give St Kent’s a valuable away win but Tela and Rissetto did just enough in the closing stages to clinch a fourth win for Grammar and stay second on the table with MAGS.
AGS 73 – A Rissetto 24, I Tela 19, T McCarthy 15, C Ngan 9
St Kentigern 71 – M Shorter 23, S Broughton 14, L Kerr 12, A McNaught 9
Visitors St Peter’s made a 5-2 start against Rosmini, playing a first home game at Carmel College.
Mitchell Dance and Marvin Williams-Dunn made treys in reply to a Luke Buckingham triple to put Rosmini ahead but St Peter’s via Phoenix Leupolu and Isaiah Franklin were keeping pace. .
A quartet of baskets from Taine Murray, recently returned from the Basketball Without Borders Camp in India, plus a steal and dunk from Joe Hylton turned the tide in the hosts favour as they led 28-23 at quarter time.
Leupolu made an off-balance three as the shot clock expired to open the St Peter’s account in the second frame but Dance, Kruz Perrott-Hunt and Kainoa Lepou all scored in quick succession necessitating a Leyton Haddleton timeout with his team suddenly 42-28 behind.
They were cut further adrift as Dance quickened the pace although an And-1 from Buckingham and inside basket from Whititera Parata helped the St Peter’s cause.
Murray had the final say of the half with a tumbling drive – Rosmini ahead 62-41 at half-time.
A Hylton triple initiated a 7-0 Rosmini run before Franklin made an acrobatic score for St Peter’s. Consecutive And-1 plays from Dance and Sean Murphy took the Rozza lead to thirty (80-50), stretched to 88-54 at three-quarter time.
Hard working forward Jacob Errey set the tone for the St Peter’s resistance in the final stanza with a couple of inside baskets and Boston Schuster showed good touch but Lepou was able to bring up the century of points for Rosmini who picked up a fifth straight win.
Rosmini 121 – M Dance 31, T Murray 23, K Perrott-Hunt 17, M Williams-Dunn 15, K Lepou 13
St Peter’s 78 – W Parata 19, P Leupolu 17, B Schuster 8, I Franklin 6
Both Rangitoto College and Avondale College headed into their game on the North Shore without a win but paced by Harry Payne (33 points) it was the boys from the Bays that registered a solid 90-68 win.
Payne showed his intent from the outset scoring 16 points in the opening period to lead Rangi to a 24-17 advantage.
Jaga Mete and Armand Donaldson scored six points each in the second quarter for Avondale but that was matched by the same output from Logan McIntosh and Ethan Mandeno – Rangitoto had a commanding 51-31 lead at the interval.
Preston Karatau landed a three early in the third but there were meager pickings for Avondale as Obadaiah Paea and Joon Back extended the home advantage to 72-43 at the last break.
Avondale had the better of exchanges in the fourth but fittingly Payne scored the final Rangi basket to post the highest individual score of the round.
Rangitoto 90 – H Payne 33, E Mandeno 15, O Paea 12, L McIntosh 10, E Skelton 10
Avondale 68 – J Mete 17, A Donaldson 16, J Childs 8, P Karatau 7
Premier League Standings
5-0 Rosmini
4-1 Mt Albert, Auckland Grammar
3-2 St Kentigern
2-3 St Peter’s
1-4 Westlake, Rangitoto
0-5 Avondale
Senior A Results
Western Springs 93 Northcote 85
Pakuranga 75 Massey v Massey 84
Liston 103 Kelston 68
Macleans v Birkenhead – result unknown
There are a full round of games being played in both Premier and Senior A Divisions on Monday June 11th.
LACEY LOWDOWN 