Rangitoto College used a 17-8 run in the final five minutes to win the battle of the unbeaten Premier teams 98-92 at Westlake Boys.
When Rocco Chang made a brace of free-throws Westlake, in front of a partisan crowd, were 84-81 ahead and looking likely victors.
However Rangitoto scored the next seven points and would not be headed again as Ethan Skelton and Zach Riley took charge of proceedings down the stretch.
Westlake rallied again, as Christian Martin earned a couple of trips to the free-throw line, closing to within three points (92-89) with 42 seconds to play but Riley held his nerve at the foul line to win a hard fought contest for the visitors.
Rangi shot out to an 8-3 start in the opening 90 seconds but Westlake responded positively trailing by the narrowest of margins at the quarter break, 25-24.
Boston Caldwell found his range in the second period knocking down a succession of threes but Zeke Priest countered with a deep three and an acrobatic alley-oop.
Rocco Chang had the final say of the first half meaning the game was finely balanced at the interval with the hosts ahead 50-48.
It was 58 apiece at the mid-point of the third frame but a corner three from Caldwell (6 made threes in the game), a couple of inside buckets from Hamza Zahran and And-1 play from Martin gave Westlake a handy 76-71 lead at the three-quarter point.
The two sides exchanged baskets at the outset of the fourth before some Rangi full court pressure resulted in easy baskets for Ethan Skelton and Kaia Dryden meant the visitors trailed by a single point with five minutes to play (82-81).
From there it was all Rangi as Riley and Skelton stamped their authority on proceedings with important scores and smothering defence.
Westlake 92 – Caldwell 31, Martin 20, Chang 15, Zahran 14
Rangitoto 98 – Riley 27, Skelton 26, Priest 25, Dryden 9
Dontae Russo-Nance had a game tying three ruled out as Auckland Grammar School beat St Kentigern College 96-93 in front of a big crowd at Mountain Road.
In a foul riddled contest Toby Caldwell’s triple had given Grammar a 96-93 lead well inside the final minute only for Russo-Nance, having scored a game high 42 points, to connect from deep as time expired.
The shot was deemed to have been released a fraction after the buzzer sounded much to the relief of the home supporters – Grammar’s top-four aspirations gaining momentum.
It was St Kent’s that made the early running, out to a 21-18 first quarter lead with Kazlo Evans and DRN the main protagonists.
The hosts had the better of the second spell with Caleb Landon, Jamal Todd and Luka Vea regularly finding routes to the ring.
Grammar’s three-point half-time lead was extended to 78-72 at three-quarter time – 14 points in the quarter from Landon a mighty contribution.
St Kent’s made a big push for victory but despite Evans and Dontae-Nance scoring all 22 of their fourth quarter points they were denied the chance of overtime by a fraction of a second in a nail-biting finish.
AGS 96 – Landon 31, Vea 20, Todd 19, Caldwell 13, Cody Brown 7
St Kentigern 93 – Dontae-Nance 42, Evans 22, George Turner 7, Merrick Rillstone 7
In another tight contest Mount Albert Grammar School came away with the spoils at St Peter’s College winning 87-79.
MAGS made an enterprising start as Phoenix Sorensen and Aki Luamanuvae-Su’a landed from deep to give them a 23-19 first quarter advantage.
Scott Errey and Dorian Sua kept St Peter’s in the hunt down by just 7 points (49-42) at the half-way mark.
In keeping with a tight contest the two teams split 34 points in the third to set up a tantilising finish.
St Peter’s guard Jack Donnelly, on his way to a game high 42 points, piled on 15 of those in the fourth but Sorensen, Ben Skelton and Hari Coker-Grey steadied the MAGS ship to ensure they sailed away with the hard fought victory.
MAGS 87 – Sorensen 28, Sorensen 18p/11rebs, Luamanuvae-Su’a 11, Will Leger 9, Will Leger 9p/12r, Kuresa Tapulaaia 9, Harri Coker-Grey 8
St Peter’s 79 – Donnelly 40, Errey 17, Owain Leigh 8, Dorian Sua 7
Paced by 31 points from Tom Beattie it was plain sailing for Rosmini College as they cruised past Liston College 113-69.
Beattie, Charlie Dalton and Zion Anderson put their collective hands to the tiller to steer Rosmini out to a 65-31 half-time lead.
Rasheed Tahiru, Sebastian Alan and Taonaishe Chataivon kept Liston buoyant before Matt Drury and Kane Murphy applied the final flourish for Rosmini.
Liston 69 – Tahiru 16, Alan 13, Chataivon 11, Marvellous Michael 9, Dhon Lao 8
Rosmini 113 – Beattie 31, Dalton 20, Murphy 16, Anderson 15, Drury 15
Premier League Standings after 6 Rounds
- Rangitoto
5-1 Westlake
4-2 St Kentigern, AGS
3-3 Rosmini
2-4 MAGS
0-6 Liston, St Peter’s
Senior A Results
Sacred Heart College 96
Massey 45
Senior A Standings after 5 Rounds
5-0 Mt Roskill,
4-1 Sacred Heart
3-2 Aorere
2-2 Northcote
2-3 Avondale, Macleans
1-4 Long Bay
0-4 Masse
LACEY LOWDOWN 