The opening round of the Auckland Secondary Schools Premier Boys competition saw four decisive results with the narrowest margin of victory 24 points and the average differential a whopping 33 points.
The 24 points win belonged to St Kentigern College who defeated Mt Albert Grammar 76-52, although that result looked unlikely early on with MAGS establishing a 20-15 opening quarter lead – ten points from Sataan Tawera in the initial gambit.
St Kent’s bounced back in the second to lead 39-31 at the main break.
Kazlo Evans scored ten points either side of half-time but a combined dozen points from Morgan Aiono and Tawera, who finished with a game high 25 points (3/6 3PG), meant MAGS were still in the game at the three-quarter mark trailing 53-47.
However St Kent’s, led by Evans, put the defensive clamps on in the fourth restricting MAGS to just five points.
Levic Kerr and Alex McNaught sealed the win at the offensive end as the pair, along with Shalom Broughton, registered double digit contributions.
St Kentigern 76– Evans 17, Kerr 14, McNaught 12, Shalom Broughton 12
MAGS 52– Tawera 25, Aiona 11, Nate Wilson 4p/10r
The opening quarter of the Rangitoto College versus Liston College encounter up in the Bays was a tight affair with Rangi shading it 18-16 despite Sefa Prasad landing a couple of long threes for Liston.
Quarter two was a disaster for the visitors outscored 29-5 as Zach Riley, Harry Payne and Phoenix Leapolu made a trio of baskets apiece to propel the hosts to a 47-21 half-time lead.
Desmond Helu and Kiani Saxon led a mini Liston revival in the third but any chance of sustained resistance was snuffed out in the final quarter as the hosts scored another 27 points with Payne taking his personal tally to 20 points. Tautoko Wynyard, younger brother of Southland Sharks forward Tai Wynyard, scored twelve points on his premier debut for Rangi who ran out 94-58 winners.
Rangitoto 94– Payne 20, Leapolu 12, Riley 12, Wynyard 12
Liston College 58– Prasad 17, Desmond Helu 11, Shawn Hickey 10, Saxon 10
The Westlake Boys quartet of Dylan Wilkie, Jett Thompson, Josh Kooiman and Sam Mennnenga combined to make six triples in the opening quarter as the home team built a 28-20 early advantage against Macleans College.
Harry Smith and Michael Babaran counter-punched for Macleans producing 32 points in the half as the visitors hung on to trail 51-39 at the interval.
More threes from Wilkie and Thompson extended the Lake advantage to a decisive 70-39 at the third break.
Mennenga, just back from a tour of China with the Junior Tall Blacks, put an exclamation mark on the 99-69 Westlake win with 15 fourth quarter points.
Westlake Boys 99– Mennenga 32, Thompson 13, Wilkie 12, Kooiman 12
Macleans College 69– Smith 31, Babaran 20, Tyson Kempton 6
Rosmini College opened its defence of the premier title with a resounding 87-44 victory against Auckland Grammar in a packed Tom Gerrand Gymnasium.
The young Grammar team, with Caleb Landon providing offensive rebounding energy and Jaga Mete and Connor Naan looking threatening in the back court, made a sound start going toe for toe with the hosts in the early minutes.
Rosmini upped the defensive tempo in the second and with Taine Murray landing four of five attempts from beyond the arc dominated the period (20-7) to lead 46-23 at half-time. Murray’s offensive salvo complimented the defensive work of his teammates led by the efforts of Sean Murphy and Reihana Maxwell-Topia.
Grammar were again kept to single figures in the third as Rosmini continued the three-point barrage – Murray made another two, Thomas Morgan one and Reimar Cruz two including the last of the quarter that hit the bottom of the net as the three-quarter siren sounded.
Daniel Boyd and Cody Brown scored some consolation points for Grammar at the death but a late Tyler Martin triple capped a dominant performance by the hosts.
Rosmini 87– Murray 30, Maxwell-Topia 10, Murphy 10
AGS 44– Mete 11, Naan 6, Lain Haku 6
LACEY LOWDOWN 