June 14th
A few days ago Epsom Girls Grammar were sitting third on the Auckland Secondary Schools Girls Premier Grade ladder with the prospect of playing the top two sides in the space of 72 hours perhaps a little daunting.
If it was then they have swept away the nerves, and the form book, to record back to back wins against both of the 2022 grand finalists.
On Friday they defeated Westlake Girls 70-64 and on Monday night beat Mt Albert Grammar School 50-42.
Both coaches Brent Lay (MAGS) and Jelena Vučinić (Epsom) admitted the low scoring game was a grind but for Epsom it produced win number five and they now sit at the top of the ladder alongside defending champions Westlake.
Draun Forbes scored 8 points as Epsom forged a 17-9 lead at quarter time and 24-19 by half-time.
Missing the offensive fire power of Wai Clarken MAGS could only muster 7 points in the third period – Kiyara Te Amo’s three-point plays helping Epsom stretch their advantage to 38-26 at three-quarter time.
MAGS had the better of the fourth as Jorjia Fiu, Emina Tiatia and Meiya Lemafa found the route to basket a little more straightforward. However a couple of baskets apiece from Leah Patuwairua and Te Amo ensured the Epsom win.
MAGS 42 – Fiu 13, Lemafa 12, Tiatia 7
Epsom 50 – Forbes 16, Te Amo 12, Patuwairua 12
Westlake Girls High bounced back from their defeat against Epsom Girls with a comfortable 89-57 home win against North Shore neighbours Takapuna Grammar School.
Winning every quarter Westlake were 25-10 ahead at quarter time and 44-26 to the good at half-time with Amy Pateman and Rebecca Moors in good touch.
The pair demonstrated the form that propelled them into the All-Star Team at the Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp in Abu Dhabi recently. Moors posted a near double-double of 27 points and 9 rebounds while Pateman scored 26 points.
Emma Schroeder and Lily Fotu were also in double figures for Westlake while Kaia Tuuta provided a fourth quarter cameo that included an arching triple.
Takapuna were again well served by Bailey Flavell and Amy McKenzie, the pair scoring 29 points and 18 points respectively.
Westlake 89 – Moors 27/9rebs, Pateman 26, Schroeder 14/5 assists, Fotu 11, Tuuta 7
Takapuna 57 – Flavell 29, McKenzie 18
Northcote College will have breathed a collective sigh of relief after securing their first victory win of the season – a 73-54 away win against Baradene College.
Close to the W on a number of occasions this season the opening win of the campaign came about in a contest in which they won all four quarters.
Baradene captain Deyna Topia scored 6 points in the opening period but a brace of threes from Lizzie May countered those – Northcote ahead 21-13.
Another half-dozen for Baradene, this time from Poppy Cavanagh-Briggs, took the home team’s tally to 29 but DJ Hannah and Nikki Gear combined for all but two of Northcote’s 23 second quarter points as they took a 44-29 lead into half-time.
Into the third and again Cavanagh-Briggs and Topia were carrying the scoring load for Baradene but with Northcote ahead 62-44 at the last break that elusive Northcote W was in sight.
The scoring slowed to a trickle in the final frame but it mattered little to Northcote as a Lily Morgan three put the icing on the winners cake.
Baradene 54 – Topia 19, Cavanagh-Briggs 14, Amelia Nathan 7, Sadie Cormack 6
Northcote 73 – Hannah 22, N Gear 21, May 14, Morgan 8
St Kentigern College bounced back from their defeat at MAGS on Friday with a 78-44 home win against St Mary’s College.
St Mary’s made a promising start – with threes for Tamzin Jakeman and Layla Aholelei they were trailing by just three points at the first break (19-15).
St Kent’s moved up a gear in the second to move out to a 40-18 half time lead. Anamia Rangihaeata, Ashleigh Tuumaialu, Charlie Yock and Kilani Tuineau all got in on the scoring action.
St Mary’s responded after the interval with three-point plays from Jakeman and India Nash but St Kent’s were still in control at the three-quarter mark with a 56-31 advantage.
Yock’s 12 fourth quarter points capped off a winning St Kent’s performance.
St Kent’s 78 – Yock 18, Rangihaeata 18, Tuumaialu 15, Tuineau 14, Maia Bennett 6
St Mary’s 44 – Jakeman 17, Nash 12, Aholelei 6, Heaven-Leigh Schmid 5
Standings
5-1 Epsom, Westlake
4-2 MAGS
3-3 Takapuna, St Kent’s
2-4 Baradene
1-5 St Mary’s, Northcote
LACEY LOWDOWN 