May 6
The Boys 2023 Premier season tipped-off on Friday with Auckland Grammar, Mt Albert Grammar, Rosmini College and Westlake Boys recording wins.
Defending champions Rosmini College got their season off to a winning start with an 80-65 win at St Kentigern College.
Merrick Rillstone scored 7 points in the opening quarter but the hosts trailed 18-14 after 10 minutes.
Triples from Josh and Chris Wyllie helped Rosmini extend their advantage in the second – 38-31 the half-time score.
Cooper Lepou and Hunter Te Ratana made scores for St Kent’s after the interval but Noah Johns and the Wyllie’s combined for all 22 of Rosmini’s third quarter points as they stretched out to a 60-49 lead ahead of the fourth period.
Rillstone took his tally into the twenties but Zion Anderson did likewise – a Rosmini win confirmed after a couple of Josh Batty threes.
St Kentigern 65 – Rillstone 22, Lepou 14, Te Ratana 11, George Turner 9
Rosmini College 80 – Anderson 23, C Wyllie 20 (4/9 3PG), J Wyllie 14, Batty 11, Johns 9
The first North Shore derby of the season saw Westlake Boys High win a one sided contest against Rangitoto College 102-53. Both teams have a new head coach – Karl Noyer has taken the reigns at Westlake while Chanel Pompallier has taken charge at Rangitoto and it was Pompallier with the furrowed brow at quarter time as Westlake established a 32-10 lead thanks largely to 16 points from Malachi Book.
Andre Bautista knocked down three triples in the second – Westlake with 10 made triples in the half led 52-26 at interval. Joel Brown was the best for Rangi with 8 first half points.
Lake continued to dominate the contest in the third piling on 28 points with Noah Rasmussen, Book and Max Riechelmann doing most the damage.
Despite Rangitoto putting together a stronger showing in the fourth – with Cooper Allen, Elyas Taher and Arnold Nam making contributions – Westlake were untroubled as they strolled to victory.
Rangitoto 53 – Brown 13, Taher 13, Nam 10, Max Mudford 8, Allen 6
Westlake 102 – Book 27, Rasmussen 19, Riechelmann 17, Bautista 15, Oscar Neville 13
The Mountain Rad rumble was won 105-83 by Auckland Grammar as they saw off the challenge of newly promoted St Peter’s College. The first half was a tail of contrasting fortunes. Grammar scored 27 first quarter points to lead by 10 at the quarter mark with St Peter’s reversing momentum in the second period to lead 43-42 at half-time.
Josh Howes, Ryan Hunt and Lachlan Kennedy were in good scoring touch for Grammar in the early stages before St Peter’s hit back through Milan Tolich, Bryan Curtis-Marsters and Caleb Afeaki.
The third stanza was something of an arm wrestle with neither side able to gain full control. Tolich and Bailey Smith shared 20 points for Saints in the spell but the more balanced scoring from Grammar saw them edge ahead 75-71 at the third break. In that period Mikaere Tait, George Milburn, Hunt, and Howes each knocked down threes.
Despite 7 points from Smith it was Grammar that held all the cards in the fourth. Milburn scored 10 points and Hunt 8 as Grammar reeled off 30 points to ease to a 22 point win.
AGS 105 – Hunt 23, Howes 21, Milburn 19, Tait 13
St Peter’s 83 – Smith 26, Tolich 18, Curtis 10, Afeaki 9
Against Sacred Heart College it was host Mt Albert Grammar that prevailed winning 91-59 with Dante Matakatea, Harri Coker-Grey and Kade Cartwright amassing a combined 68 points.
Tyrell Cocker scored six early points for Sacred Heart but a couple of threes from Dante Matakatea and incisions from Harri Coker-Gray helped MAGS forge a 19-13 first quarter lead.
Matt Fautuaalii-Taia and Sam Snowdon carried the scoring load for Heart in the second however Kade Cartwright delivered four triples in the period and Stepan Kosenko and Coker-Gray half a dozen points apiece as MAGS ran up 34 points to lead 53-31 at the interval.
The third period was a much more even affair (15-17). Fautuaalii-Taia and Preston Tuaputa produced scores for the hosts although those were cancelled out by Matakatea and Coker-Grey as MAGS headed to the fourth with an unassailable 70-46 lead.
MAGS put on another 21 points in the fourth to run out easy winners ahead of a trip to Rangitoto College next Friday. Sacred Heart will lick their wounds before hosting St Kentigern College in Round 2.
Sacred Heart 59 – Fautuaalii-Taia 20, Cocker 11, Snowdon 10
MAGS 91 – Matakatea 29, Coker-Grey 20/13rebs, Cartwright 19 (5/9 3PG), Uri 10/13rebs
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