In a game featuring two former Tall Ferns in the head coach roles Epsom Girls Grammar conceded the first 16 points of the game before recovering to post a 64-52 away win at Takapuna Grammar School on Tuesday night.
Katelin Noyer would have been delighted with her team’s start as Takapuna began the contest in hot shooting form making their first seven scoring attempts with scores from Bailey Flavell, Amy McKenzie and MacKenzie MacKereth.
Following a timeout by Jelena Vučinić, Leah Patuwairua and Talia Vea eventually got the scoreboard ticking over for Epsom before McKenzie and Flavell nailed threes to give the hosts a 28-20 quarter time lead.
The torrent of points in the opening period turned into a trickle in the second although Epsom, via a Draun Forbes triple, gained the lead as half time approached (33-30).
Flavell and McKenzie made baskets in the third frame but pickings were slim against a stifling Epsom defence that only conceded 10 points in the middle two periods. A three from Vea and transition baskets from Forbes pushed the EGGS lead out to 46-38 at three-quarter time.
Epsom increased their lead via Forbes, Patuwairua and the play of the game from Vea. The agile forward capitalised on her own steal by absorbing contact to make a tumbling reverse layup whereby pushing the visitors advantage to 53-38.
A MacKereth triple, and further points from Flavell, kept the Takapuna hopes alive but they were quashed by Forbes who scored 14 points in the final term to post a game high 30.
Congratulations to Bailey Flavell 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.
Takapuna 52 – Flavell 21, McKenzie 14, MacKereth 11
EGGS 64 – Forbes 30, Vea 13, Patuwairua 13
If you missed it here is the wrap on the three Girls Prems games played on Friday night:
LACEY LOWDOWN 