Two notable wins highlighted Week 2 of the Auckland Secondary Schools Premier Girls competition.
Pride of place goes to Baradene College who recorded their first ever win in the top echelon of Auckland School’s basketball. The other promoted team Epsom Girls Grammar School also grabbed their first win of the season whilst Westlake Girls and St Mary’s were the other victorious teams.
Baradene College and Massey High School played out an entertaining contest at Trusts Arena on Saturday afternoon prior to the Sal’s NBL game.
The score-line doesn’t tell the full story as it was only in the last quarter that Baradene were able to pull away and enjoy their inaugural Premier victory.
Ahead of that fourth quarter the Baradene lead was just seven point (62-55) but the final period would prove to be largely one-way traffic in their favour.
A 12-0 Baradene run at the start of the fourth was halted by a Ramona Fuaivaa two and a Shazaleah Henry triple but with Lily Parke, Ritorya Tamilo, Charlotte Rattray and Poppy Cavanagh-Briggs each scoring a brace of baskets the Baradene lead soon ballooned out to twenty points.
The Baradene supporters could relax and enjoy the closing stages with their team going on to win 90-66.
Early on things had looked a little ominous for Baradene as Fuaivaa knocked down three triples in the opening quarter. Another triple, this time from Parke, gave Baradene a one point quarter- time lead.
Tahlya Waikiki and Maya Taingahue each scored six points in the second frame for Massey but Deyna Topia matched that to help Baradene to a 39-35 half-time lead.
It was basket for basket in a hectic third period but 7 points apiece from Lily Parke and Tamilo tipped the scales slightly in favour of Baradene.
With the defensive qualities of Rattray and Tamilo shining through it was all Baradene in the final quarter.
Baradene 90 – L Parke 24, Tamilo 21, Rattray 15, Topia 14, Cavanagh-Briggs 8
Massey 66 – Fuaivaa 21, Henry 16, Taingahue 14, Tahlya Waikiki 12
Despite having just six players Epsom Girls Grammar were able to secure an 82-68 win at Mt Albert Grammar School.
It was tight most of the way at Epsom Girls as the home team eventually got the better of Mt Albert Grammar School to win 82-68.
Newly promoted EGGS only had six players but still managed to outlast MAGS, thanks largely to the efforts of Flow Dallow (31 points) and Sarah-Joy Aruwa (25 points).
There was little to choose between the two sides in the first half, EGGS leading 23-22 after 10 minutes and 44-42 after 20 minutes.
Monica Kelly and Kayla Tenana made a couple of baskets apiece for MAGS in the third period although Dallow and Aruwa shared 15 points to extend the Epsom advantage to 60-54.
Kelly and Danae Tait did their best to wrestle the initiative but Epsom, with Te Ataiti Armstrong and Te Aroha Kukutai-Wairau making key contributions, were not to be denied their first win of the season.
MAGS 68 – Tait 12, Kelly 10, Foster 10, Cocker-Lemalie 9, Pupuke-Robati 6, Tenana 6
Epson 82 – Dallow 31, Aruwa 25, Armstrong 13, Kukutai-Wairau 9
Westlake Girls visited Rangitoto College and it took last season’s Grand Finalists thirty-five minutes to wear down the hosts resistance.
When the game’s leading scorer Aroha Riley (28 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) scored on the three-quarter time buzzer Rangitoto were only 5 points adrift (52-47) and an upset was a possibility.
Mackenzie Chatfield scored five quick points at the start of the fourth but after landing awkwardly had to be helped from the court and took no further part in the game.
Makenzie Boucher and Emma Pugh took over the scoring load and suddenly the Westlake lead was out to a match winning 68-52.
Aroha Riley and Ella Moore tried to peg back the deficit but Jess Moors ensured that Westlake would claim their second straight win to begin the season.
Earlier Rosie Dil ensured that Westlake were ahead 17-11 at quarter time. Rangi edged the second period 16-14 to trail at the break by four points (31-27) with the Riley sisters scoring 15 of the Rangi points.
Jess Moors stamped her authority on proceedings in the third grabbing numerous defensive rebounds and immediately initiating the offense to produce scoring opportunities for herself or her teammates.
Rangitoto hung in tough – with Aroha Riley in great scoring touch, Moore, Emily Blythe and Kellie Tawhiao offering strong support the fourth quarter promised to be a dog fight.
Unfortunately that didn’t eventuate as Westlake put their foot down to move to 2-0 on the season.
Rangitoto 68 – A Riley 28, Moore 12, Tawhiao 8/16r, Blythe 6/9r
Westlake 83 – J Moors 18, Dil 13, Chatfield 13, Pugh 11, Boucher 9, Fotu 8
Kat Leslie scored 19 points and Leata Tenana-Williams added 16 points as St Mary’s College beat Carmel College for their second win of the season.
It was a third quarter demolition job by St Mary’s that clinched the contest as they outscored Carmel 22-5 in that period. Zaaliyah Kailahi-Fulu, Tenana-Williams and Leslie did most of the damage to swing the contest firmly in favour of St Mary’s.
Up to that point Qaizden Stephan (15 points), Lily Morgan and Kalea Norton had ensured Carmel were well in the contest, down 35-27 at half-time.
Parity was restored in the fourth quarter with the two teams splitting 34 points but from Carmel’s perspective the horse, or more accurately St Mary’s, had already bolted.
St Mary’s 74 – Leslie 19, L Tenana-Williams 15, Kailahi-Fulu 12, Robertson 9, Schmid 6
Carmel 48 – Qaizden 15, Cammell 9, Norton 9
The competition now takes a break during the school holidays with the third round to be played on Friday July 24th.
LACEY LOWDOWN 