The final round of the Auckland Secondary Schools Girl’s Premier League saw St Mary’s College complete an unbeaten regular season with a 108-62 win against Massey High – the two teams will meet again in semi-final action next Friday.
Also involved in a semi-final dress rehearsal were Westlake and Rangitoto with Lake getting the win 96-87.
Massey High guard Ramona Fuaivaa knocked down seven threes on her way to 31 points but it was a night that in the end was dominated by seniors Jazz Kailahi-Fulu and Riana Matiseni as St Mary’s made it twelve straight wins.
Matiseni scored 29 points and Kailahi-Fulu finished with an impressive stats line of 37 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals.
St Mary’s piled on 34 points in the opening quarter to stun their opponents and led 52-32 at half-time.
Maya Taingahu and Shazaleah Henry made useful scoring contributions for Massey but could do little to halt the St Mary’s onslaught.
The Matiseni/Kailahi-Fulu combination continued to wreak havoc in the third quarter and with Zaaliyah Kailahi-Fulu and the Te Nana-Williams sisters adding some scoring punch the Saints lead was out to 88-41 at three-quarter time.
Fuaivaa put on a shooting exhibition in the final quarter as she buried five threes in the period but it was St Mary’s night and one to savour for Jazz Kailahi-Fulu and Riana Matiseni.
St Mary’s 108– J Kailahi-Fulu 37/14r, R Matiseni 29, M Malolo 7, Z Kailahi-Fulu 6, S Te Nana-Williams 6, L Te Nana-Williams 6
Massey 62– R Fuaivaa 31, M Taingahu 8, A Leusogi-Ape 8, S Henry 6
Rangitoto coach Josh Davies was confined to his sick bed but in Kenny Stone they found a capable “fill-in” and he coaxed a good performance out of his team who pushed Westlake all the way before eventually going down 96-87.
It was 16 points apiece at quarter time before Westlake got to work in the second period. Jordyn Maddix and Amiya Fotu knocked down threes and with MacKenzie Chatfield and Rosie Dil getting in on the scoring action Lake were ahead 43-28 at half time.
Rangitoto responded in style after the interval scoring 35 points in the next ten minutes. Hannah Wentworth was the architect of the onslaught knocking down four triples in the quarter and with Moneesha Barrett consistently finding a way to basket the Westlake advantage was whittled down to four points (67-63) at three-quarter time.
Aroha Riley got in on the scoring action in the fourth, her triple keeping the Westlake lead in single figures. A banked three from Maddix and a transition basket from Shearer stretched the Westlake lead to 91-78 with four minutes to play.
Riley, Ella Moore and Emily Blyth maintained the Rangi resistance but Maddix and Chatfield put the lid on an entertaining contest.
Westlake 96– J Maddix 25, M Chatfield 16, R Dil 14, E Shearer 12
Rangitoto 87– H Wentworth 37, A Riley 21, M Barrett 12, E Blyth 8
In the battle of the bottom two teams, who ironically were the top two teams in the previous two seasons, Mt Albert Grammar beat Auckland Girls Grammar 90-64.
Auckland guard Imogene Noble kept up her good form by leading all scorers with 31 points
Noble and Letitia Tuaiti gave AGS a good start as they led 14-11 after the first quarter. That advantage disappeared in the second as MAGS reeled off 28 points with Rikki Fiatau and Danae Tait the main contributors.
A 39-28 half-time lead became 61-46 by the three-quarter mark. Monica Kelly took her tally into double figures, as did Leah Patuwairua for AGGS but Fiatau scored five baskets on the bounce to make a MAGS win looked probable.
Noble scored 13 points in the final quarter but an 8 point cameo from Valana Robati ensured a third win of the season for MAGS.
AGGS 64– I Noble 31, L Patuwairua 18, L Tuaiti 13
MAGS 90– R Fiatau 27, D Tait 16, M Kelly 12, T Cocker-Lemalie 11
Premier Girls Standings at end of regular season:
12-0 St Mary’s
10-2 Westlake
7-5 Rangitoto
6-6 Massey
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5-7 Carmel
3-9 MAGS
0-12 AGGS
LACEY LOWDOWN 