Ramona Fuaivaa had the distinction of scoring the first point in Auckland Secondary School’s Premier Basketball on the North Shore in 2020 as she gave Massey High School the lead at Carmel College on Friday night.
The Massey captain would go on to score a game high equaling 26 points to lead her team to an 89-85 victory.
Carmel guard Jemma Cammell also notched 26 points in an end-to-end, entertaining encounter that could have gone either way but eventually fell the way of the visitors.
Massey got off to a fast start opening up a 9-1 lead but that was quickly erased as Qaizden Stephano scored inside and Lily Morgan and Katea Norton struck from deep to give the home side a 17-11 lead at the first break.
Carmel had seven different scorers in the second quarter but Massey weren’t going away and trailed by just two points, 34-36, at half-time.
The third quarter told the story of the game. Maya Taingahue and Tahlya Waikiki sprung Massey into a lead before Mackenzie MacKereth obliterated that advantage. Cammell put Carmel ahead but Fuaivaa put a stop to that with a pair of threes. The lead kept changing in a period that produced 67 points – Massey ahead by the narrowest of margins (69-68) at the three-quarter mark.
Izzy MacGregor converted a long three but it was Cammell carrying the scoring load for Carmel. She notched a dozen of her team’s 17 points in the final period but it wasn’t quite enough to see off the efforts of Shazaleah Henry, Fuaivaa, Taingahue and Waikiki.
Carmel 85 – Cammell 26, Stephano 16, MacKereth 8, Morgan 8
Massey 89 – Fuaivaa 26, Taingahue 19, Waikiki 17, Henry 17
Double-doubles from Aroha Riley (15 points/13 rebounds) and Kellie Tawhiao (13 points/16rebounds) propelled Rangitoto College to a 20-point win at Mt Albert Grammar School.
MAGS made the better start – a couple of baskets apiece from Danae Tait (18 points) and Breanna Waka helped the home team to an 18-10 lead after 10 minutes.
That lead was quickly erased in the second quarter as Rangi guard Ella Moore dropped 10 points in the period – her team 37-26 ahead at the interval.
Scoring continued to be a struggle for MAGS in the third and Rangi took full advantage. Riley and Emily Blythe both struck from long range as the visitors put up 21 points in the period to lead 58-37 at three-quarter time.
Exchanges were even in the final quarter with Monica Kelly, Letiara Foster and Tait advancing the MAGS score. Moore capped off the Rangitoto win with her fourth triple of the game.
Rangitoto Coach Josh Davis was happy with his team’s first up effort “I was pleased with our toughness in a physical game, particularly Maddy Smith on her Premier debut.”
MAGS 52 – Tait 18, Foster 16, Waka 6, Kelly 6
Rangitoto 72 – A Riley 15/13r, Moore 15, Tawhiao 13/16r, Noom-Duckworth 9, Blythe 8
Baradene College, promoted as 2019 Senior A Champions, made a promising start to the Premier season but eventually went down 65-50 at home to Westlake Girls High School.
“It was not a bad effort, but we ran out of steam,” reflected Baradene Head Coach Andrew Parke.
His team made a promising start with Deyna Topia putting the finishing touches to a 15-14 quarter-time lead.
Holly Williams knocked down a three for Westlake and the ‘Mac-Attack of Mackenzie Chatfield and Makenzee Boucher were prominent as the visitors built a 32-25 lead by half-time.
Lily Parke and Ritorya Tamilo amassed 42 of Baradene’s 50 points and despite their best efforts Westlake were 49-32 to the good at three-quarter time.
Jess Moores and Rosalie Dil ensured there would be no late comeback from the hosts – Westlake off to a solid start with a first up win.
Baradene 50 – Parke 22, Tamilo 20
Westlake 65 – J Moors 20, Dil 11, Boucher 8, Chatfield 8
St Mary’s College got their 2020 campaign off to a good start with a 73-49 win against newly promoted Epsom Girls Grammar School.
It was a balanced performance from the defending champions with seven players contributing six points or more.
A tight opening frame, won 11-7 by St Mary’s, preceded a scoring rush in the second as both teams scored over twenty points.
Florence Dallow scored 8 points for Epsom and on the other side of the ledger Kodee Sefo, Leata Tenana-Williams, Zaliyah Kailahi-Fulu, Faith Ualika , Safena Tenana-Williams all scored multiple baskets as St Mary’s built a 39-27 half-time lead.
Sarah-Joy Aruwa kept the score ticking over for Epsom after the break but St Mary’s added another 20 points to be 59-36 ahead with ten minutes to play.
Te Aroha Kukutai-Wairau posted 6 points for Epsom in the final term, a tally matched by Sefo as St Mary’s eased to a comfortable victory.
Epsom 49 – Dallow 16, Aruwa 12, Kukutai-Wairau 8, Roy 5
St Mary’s 73 – Sefo 14, L Tenana-Williams 14, Kailahi-Fulu 9, Ualika 9, S Tenana-Williams 7
LACEY LOWDOWN 