The successes of Rosmini College and St Peter’s School Cambridge in claiming 2018 Schick Championships ‘AA’ National Secondary School Basketball titles has followed a continuing trend.
Rosmini claimed the Doug Harford Trophy for the second successive year and the third time in eight years beating St Patrick’s College Kilbirnie 114-62 in the final.
Following the successes of Westlake Boys High School and Rangitoto College, the three North Shore schools have between them claimed ten titles in the last fourteen years with only Otago Boys High, Fraser High and St Pat’s Kilbirnie (twice) interrupting the winning sequence.
The Tom Abercrombie led Westlake team of 2005 claimed the first of Westlake’s five titles. Corey Webster was also prominent that year and ensured a repeat in 2006.
Rob Loe featured in the aforementioned triumphs and was also the dominant figure in Westlake’s 2009 triumph.
Rosmini got their hands on the Doug Harford trophy for the first time in 2011 with Anamata Haku and Tohi Smith-Milner proving formidable.
Tai Webster in 2012 and Jack Salt in 2013 ensured Westlake would go back to back and after Otago Boys High clinched the 2014 title Rangitoto also went back to back in 2015 and 2016.
Tai Wynyard was a formidable force in 2015 and Sam Waardenburg a shining light in 2016 although it is the memory of the buzzer beating effort from Cam Stone, that broke the hearts of Palmerston North Boys High in 2016, that lives longest in the memory.
The consecutive wins by Rosmini College prompts the question can any other school buck the trend in 2019?
St Peter’s School Cambridge won the C.A. Clarke Trophy for the third time in four years by defeating Hutt Valley High School 92-51 on Saturday.
With St Peter’s returning the vast majority of their players in 2019, including the prodigious Charlisse-Leger Walker, it is hard to envisage anything but another victory for the Cambridge school next year.
If it is North Shore schools ruling the roost in the Boys competition of late, Waikato schools have dominated the Girls’ competition for the past four decades.
Church College lifted the C.A. Clarke Trophy for the first time in 1981 and remarkably lifted that trophy another 19 times in the following 28 years – the last success in 2009, the year the school closed.
Sacred Heart College, Hamilton (1988) and Hamilton Girls High (2012) have also stood atop the podium meaning Waikato schools have totaled 27 victories in the 50 years the championship has been contested.
It’s a pity we have to wait another twelve months to witness another Schick Secondary Schools Nationals.
LACEY LOWDOWN 