LACEY LOWDOWN

Waimanu Clarken and Emma-Kay Schroeder had 30-point games to lead Mt Albert Grammar and Westlake Girls, the 2022 Grand Finalists, to Auckland Secondary Schools Round 2 Prems victories.

Clarken scored 35 points as Mt Albert Grammar School won an entertaining game at Northcote College 86-73.

Peyton Uri got proceedings underway with a corner three for MAGS who were quickly out to a 15-5 lead. That was pegged back to 21-17 at the quarter time break – a three from Lisa Gear late in the period helping the Northcote cause.

A couple of scores from DJ Hannah cancelled out efforts from Sienna-Rose Tawera and Gezreyal Maiu’u before a brace of threes from Clarken again stretched the MAGS lead – the visitors ahead 41-30 at the interval.

Triples from Hannah and Lizzie May in the third kept Northcote in the hunt but a balanced MAGS scoring effort held them at bay; 71-50 to the visitors at three-quarter-time. 

Hannah and May combined for 16 points in the fourth as Northcote kept the pressure on the MAGS defence but Jorjia Fiu, Clarken and Tawera would have the final say as MAGS closed out a second successive win.

Northcote, having pushed the top two teams from last season in the opening two rounds, can take heart from their performances ahead of a trip to St Kentigern College next week while MAGS will meet Westlake in a blockbuster match up.

Northcote 73 – Hannah 28, May 20, Lily 10, Nikki Gear 9

MAGS 86 – Clarken 35, Fiu 15, Tawera 8, Uri 6, Maiu’u 6

Emma-Kay Schroeder landed 11 first quarter points as Westlake Girls High established a 22-13 quarter-time lead at home to St Mary’s College.

Tamzin Jakeman and India Nash were doing good work for St Mary’s but Schroeder, on her way to a career high 36 points, and Amy Pateman were taking the game away from the visitors as Lake led 47-24 at half-time.

Christiana Setu and Jakeman kept the scoreboard ticking over for St Mary’s but Rebecca Moors and Schroeder were also accelerating the scoring rate for the hosts – Westlake 69-37 to the good at the third break.

Points in the fourth from Imani Rasmussen and Kalei Morgan-Tafea capped off a convincing Westlake victory.

Congratulations to Westlake player Kodee Williams-Sefo who has been named to the New Zealand team to attend the FIBA U16 Women’s Asian Championship in Amman, Jordan from 10-16 July. Kodee is currently sidelined as she recovers from a leg injury.

Westlake 87 – Schroeder 36, Pateman 19, Moors 10, Morgan-Tafea 7 Rasmussen 6

St Mary’s 49 – Jakeman 8, Nash 8, Sefu 6, Olive Maling 6, Felolina To’ua-Kalava

Despite a game high 28 points from St Kentigern College guard Ashleigh Tuumaialu the three pronged scoring threat of Deyna Topia, Ritorya Tamilo and Poppy Cavanagh-Briggs combined for 57 points to propel Baradene College to a 62-53 win.

Tuumaialu scored 7 points in the opening ten minutes but it was Baradene that edged the period 17-14.

That lead evaporated quickly as Tuumaialu and Kilani Tuineau picked holes in the Baradene defence to take the visitors to a 33-25 half-time lead.

St Kent’s kept Baradene to 8 second quarter points but the third saw a complete reversal as it was the visitors turn to be kept to 8. At the offensive end Tamilo scored 8 points on her own while Cavanagh-Briggs tallied 7 as Baradene headed to the final quarter with a narrow 43—41 advantage.

Baradene would again have the better of the quarter with the triple threat of Topia, Tamilo and Cavanagh-Briggs, aided by Daisy Parke, outscoring St Kent’s 19-12 in the period to close out a bounce back win. 

Good luck to Ritorya who is attending the Tall Ferns Trial Camp at Pulman Arena this weekend.

Baradene 62 – Tamilo 22, Topia 18, Cavanagh-Briggs 17

St Kentigern 53 – Tuumaialu 28, Kilani Tuineau 8, Tiffany Thompson 6

The Takapuna Grammar v Epsom Girls Grammar fixture has been postponed until Tuesday.