The 4th Round of the Auckland Secondary Schools Boys Premier competition, brought to you in conjunction with Dynamic Sport New Zealand, produced wins for Auckland Grammar, Rosmini College, St Kentigern College and Westlake Boys.
Despite being without starters Jacob Fotu and Zeke Priest Rangitoto looked destined to secure a home win when they led 48-30 at half-time.
However, the game swung dramatically in favour of the visitors at the back end of the third and early in the fourth.
Tautoko Wynyard (23 points) had dominated the early proceedings but with his production stymied Westlake were able to gain control.
Nine third quarter points from Luke Don, with good support from Malachi Book and Rocco Chang (a game high 26 points), initiated the Westlake revival.
Chang’s buckets either side of the three quarter time break shifted momentum the way of the visitors – Hamza Zahran and Ned Shearer nudging Westlake ahead.
A triple from Arnold Nam helped the Rangi cause but Lake held their nerve down the stretch to eke out a valuable win.
Earlier it was Wynyard doing early damage supported by a three-point barrage from Jed Barlow and Jimmy Kim. With Michael Ropotini also in good scoring touch it was all Rangi.
Momentum is key in basketball and Westlake went on to harness that priceless commodity in the second half.
Rangitoto 77 – Wynyard 23, Ropotini 15, Barlow 12, Kai Kemp 8
Westlake 80 – Rocco Chang 26, Hamza 14, Dan Ottenhoff, 9, Don 9, Malachi Book 7
Mt Albert Grammar trailed by just four points at half-time (39-35) but 7 points apiece from Tom Beattie and Julius Halaifonua helped Rosmini establish a 14-point lead in the third.
An emphatic dunk by Will Leger, in the shadows of three-quarter time, and a Dante Matakatea And-1 play at the start of the fourth reduced the Rosmini lead to single figures.
Zion Anderson, Beattie and Halaifonua kept MAGS at bay although when Leger scored with five minutes to play (66-58) the away fans sniffed a chance.
A 10-2 run from Rosmini doused that optimism – MAGS needing to regroup quickly for a Monday night showdown with Westlake in a rearranged fixture.
Earlier Rosmini, after speeding to a 22-14 lead, were pegged back in the second quarter – Matakatea scoring a dozen points and skipper Victor Keil nailing a couple of threes.
Charlie Dalton also had a dozen for the hosts (courtesy of four triples) before heading to the airport at half-time to link up with the New Zealand U19 Beach Volleyball team flying out to Thailand late Friday night.
Rosmini 78 – Beattie 25, Halaifonua 18, Anderson 14, Dalton 12
MAGS 64 –Matakatea 15, Keil 12, Leger 10/9rebs, Harri Coker-Grey 9
Auckland Grammar were dominant from the opening tip at Sacred Heart – scoring at will, denying, shots at the defensive end and generally using their size and speed to great effect. Ahead of his trip to Doha with the New Zealand U17 National team Will Shortt was the scourge of the Heart offence, blocking shots (8 was the conservative estimate) and denying the hosts any offensive flow.
Grammar established a 25-9 opening quarter advantage – Shortt and Josh Muggleston scoring all but five of the twenty-five.
Cody Brown scored 13 points in the second quarter although Heart were much improved in the period as Adam Davies and Tyler Wilson-Voyce provided some scoring momentum; 44-28 at half-time.
Grammar put the foot on the pedal in the third as Jackson Kiss, Muggleston and Shortt took the game away from the hosts with a 29-point surge.
Ben Blake-Howling rounded out proceedings with Grammar’s tenth triple of the night – both coaches giving extended minutes to the bench players during the closing minutes.
Sacred Heart 55 –Davies 11, Wilson-Voyce 8, Muli Ma’asi 7, Cassius Reynolds 6
AGS 90 – Muggleston 23, Brown 21, Kiss 18, Shortt 9, Ryan Hunt 7
Dontae Russo-Nance (129 points in three games) kept up his points harvesting form with 39 points as Saint Kentigern saw off a plucky Liston College team 105-73.
Liston held their own in the opening quarter as Dhon Lao, Oliver McElhinney and Rasheed Ieremia made life uncomfortable the hosts.
Up by just two at quarter time (26-24), it was all St Kent’s in the second period piling in 40 points to establish a 66-37 half-time lead.
St Kent’s made six threes in the quarter (12 in the game) with Hunter Te Ratana, George Turner, Merrick Rillstone, Cooper Lepou and Russo-Nance all successful from the land of plenty.
Turner, soon headed to Doha with the New Zealand U17 National team for the Asia Cup, added to his tally whileMcElhinney joined in the three-point fun for Liston. However, the damage had been done in the second, St Kent’s easing to a comfortable second win of the season.
St Kent’s 105 – Russo-Nance 39, Rillstone 23, Turner 14, Cooper Lepou 13, Te Ratana 8
Liston 73 – Ieremia 19, Lao 14, McElhinney 11, Deon Helu 10
Standings after 4 Rounds:
4-0 Rosmini
3-0 Westlake
2-1 AGS, Rangitoto
2-2 St Kentigern
1-2 MAGS
0-4 Liston, Sacred Heart
*MAGS will host Westlake on Monday May 30 for a re-arranged Round 3 fixture.
LACEY LOWDOWN 