The Auckland Secondary Schools Girls Premier Grade Grand Final next Thursday will be between Westlake Girls High and Mt Albert Grammar after Westlake defeated St Kentigern College 110-29 and MAGS overcame Baradene College 53-50 in semi-final ties at Eventfinda Stadium on Friday.
The Senior A Grand Final will be an all North Shore affair with Takapuna Grammar taking on Northcote College.
Due to my commitments to the Women’s D League (Saturday) and Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa (Sunday) the wrap on the semi-finals is a little less detailed than normal.
The Westlake against St Kentigern College matchup was a disappointingly one-sided affair won 110-29 by unbeaten Westlake. The Lake lead was 25-9 at quarter time and grew steadily throughout the contest.
St Kentigern 29 – Ashleigh Tuumaialu 11, Anamia Rangihaeata 9, Maia Mealamu 4
Westlake 110 – Mackenzie Chatfield 33, Izzy Pugh 22, Rebecca Moors 19, Amy Pateman 13, Jaelah Clayton 11
In contrast the other semi-final wasn’t decided until the final possession of the contest, a go-ahead banked three from Danae Tait with 12 seconds to play proving to be the game winner.
Having trailed 45-32 half way through the final quarter, and shots not dropping, Baradene looked dead and buried.
However back-to-back scores from Ritorya Tamilo plus an And-1 play from Summer Faleafa sparked a Baradene revival.
When Baradene point guard Deyna Topia scored inside the last three minutes it was just a three point deficit (47-44). Wai Clarken (25 points) extended the MAGS advantage to five but Baradene were on a roll.
A Tamilo score preceded a Poppy Cavanagh-Briggs make and when the same player found herself unmarked for an open layup Baradene were ahead 50-49 with 32 seconds left on the clock.
The next MAGS possession seemed to be fizzling out until Tait’s 3-point effort found the net via the backboard.
Baradene couldn’t make anything of their final possession – Clarken, at the other end, icing the game from the foul line to see MAGS home in a thrilling finish.
Baradene 50 – Summer Faleafa 15, Ritorya Tamilo 13, Deyna Topia 11, Poppy Cavanagh-Briggs 6
MAGS 53 – Wai Clarken 23, Danae Tait 11, Valana Pupuke-Robati 10
There was no such drama in the Senior A semi’s with Takapuna Grammar and Northcote College advancing with almost identical scorelines. Takapuna defeated Manurewa High 73-49 with Northcote winning 73-51 against Massey High.
Takapuna were given some trouble by Manurewa in the early stages, their lead only 16-12 at quarter time and 25-16 midway through the second.
It was Sela Uluheua and Bella Manu-Moore providing most the scoring firepower for Manurewa who were still in the contest close to the three-quarter mark.
However a 10-0 Takapuna run, either side of that mark, broke the Manurewa resistance. Takapuna were paced by a game high 26 points from Amy McKenzie with Qaizden Stephano and Bailey Flavell the other double figure contributors.
Takapuna 73 – Amy McKenzie 26, Bailey Flavell 17, Qaizden Stephano 16, Manaia Watson 9
Manurewa 49 – Sela Uluheua 19, Bella Manu-Moore 11, Zhendy Li 9
Northcote College bossed proceedings throughout against Massey High School who were hampered by having just five players.
With Lizzie May and Nikki Gear in good touch Northcote had a 22-11 lead at quarter-time, 42-22 at half-time and 59-33 at three-quarter time. The result was not in doubt at that stage but to their credit the ‘Massey Five’ were competitive to the end and took the fourth period 18-14, Allyah Leusogi-Ape their top scorer with 20 points.
Northcote with the win and a grand final date with Takapuna on Thursday.
Northcote 73 – Lizzie May 22, Nikki Gear 17, DJ Hannah 13, Lily Morgan 10
Massey 51 – Allyah Leusogi-Ape 20, Kortni Waikiki 12, Tahlya Waikiki 10, Zhoey Tilby-Woods 7
LACEY LOWDOWN 