Are we witnessing a slight changing of the guard in Girl’s Premier League basketball in Auckland? Westlake Girls will be in the mix but expect Baradene College and Epsom Girls Grammar to also be in the shake-up at the business end of the season – all three teams off to a two-game winning start.
Baradene made a strong start against St Mary’s leading 13-8 after the first ten minutes and 27-17 at half-time – Lilly Parke, Ritorya Tamilo and Deyna Topia all making telling contributions.
Kat Leslie tried to get things going for St Mary’s but 8 points in the third from Summer Faleafa ensured Baradene had an unassailable 48-29 lead at the three-quarter mark.
Baradene 68 – Tamilo 17, Faleafa 16, Topia 15, Parke 12
St Mary’s 47 – Leslie 13, Kadee Sefo 8, Faith Ualika 7
Sarah-Joy Aruwa scored 10 points in the opening quarter as Epsom Girls established a 22-16 lead at Rangitoto College.
Aroha Riley was also in double figures for Rangitoto who were still in touch at the interval trailing 33-29.
Epsom broke the game open in the third, threes from Flo Dallow, Draun Forbes and Lauren Boxall-Hunt helping them tally 30 points in the period and a 63-45 lead with ten minutes to play.
Kellie Tawhiao joined Riley on the 20-points mark but Epsom were cruising in the fourth.
Rangitoto 59 – Tawhiao 22, Riley 21
Epsom 86 – Dallow 30, Aruwa 26, Boxall-Hunt 9, Maya Fowler 9
A 31-4 opening period in favour of Westlake Girls High set the tone for a straight forward 109-20 victory over local rivals Carmel College.
The Mack Attack of Boucher and Chatfield did most of the damage for the hosts with Katie Linstrom’s 9 points the best for Carmel.
Westlake 109 – Makenzee Boucher 22, Mackenzie Chatfield 20, Amy Pateman 15, Rosie Dil 13, Jaelah Clayton 11, Amiya Fotu 9
Carmel 20 – Katie Linstrom 9, Jemma Gammell 6
Mt Albert Grammar made a strong start against Massey High School but eventually went down 70-63.
Breanna Waka, Tiger-Lily Cocker-Lemalie and Danae Tait scored a couple of baskets apiece as MAGS forged an early 20-13 lead.
However Massey piled on 30 points in the second quarter as Aylyah Leusogi-Ape and Manya Taingahue cut loose.
The two teams went hammer and tongue in the third period sharing 40 points in a high scoring frame – Taya Lewis led the MAGS effort but Massey held firm to win the closest game of the round.
Massey 76 – Leusogi-Ape 29, Taingahue 16, Zhoey Tilby-Woods 9, Tahlya Waikiki 8
MAGS 63 – Lewis 17, Tait 14, Waka 7
Senior A Results:
St Kentigern 88 (Sharmaine Tapling 34, Emma Halliday 17), Northcote 32 (Grace Lai 11)
Mt Roskill 56 (Tikara Sallow 26, Eden Ili 10), Pukekohe 38 (Abby Crane 16, Arizona Withers 8)
Pakuranga 73 (Eden Vaka 18, Jordan Koteka 16) Auckland Girls Grammar 46 (Leah Patuwairua 33)
One Tree Hill 75 Avondale 57
LACEY LOWDOWN 