August 8th, 2023
In the penultimate round of the Auckland Secondary Schools Boys Premier Grade regular season the most significant result came at Rangitoto College where the host were pipped 90-88 by Sacred Heart College.
The two teams entered the contest with identical 2-10 records with the winner pulling out of the bottom two with just a game to play.
Details are sketchy as the scoresheet hasn’t been forwarded but we do know that Sacred Heart recovered from a poor start after falling behind by nearly twenty points.
They recovered to lead by single figures at half-time, and three-quarter time, before holding on for the vital win.
Rangi will play Auckland Grammar in their final game with Heart visiting Westlake Boys. If those games go to form it will be Rangitoto involved in a play-off game in 2024 to remain in Prems.
For the second time in as many games St Kentigern College were pipped at the post. Having been beaten in overtime by MAGS on Friday the Saints were defeated 71-70 at Auckland Grammar School.
St Kentigern made the better start easing to a 23-16 quarter time lead and were still in control at half-time (ahead 40-34) with George Turner, headed for a game high 23 points, and Merrick Rillstone in good form.
Josh Howes scored 9 third quarter points and with Jackson Kiss and George Milburn chipping in with points Grammar turned a six points deficit into a one-point lead (53-52) by three-quarter time.
Triples number four and five in the game from Turner plus points from Hunter Te Ratana posed problems for the hosts but Kiss and skipper Ryan Hunt did just enough to edge Grammar to victory.
AGS 71 – Kiss 19, Howes 15, Hunt 11, Roera Tipene 8, Milburn 6, Roman Ma’afu-Moerua 6
St Kent’s 70 – Turner 23, Rillstone 17, Te Ratana 13, Max Johnson 6
The other games in the round were won convincingly by the top two teams on the ladder.
Unbeaten Mt Albert Grammar defeated St Peter’s College 106-65 thanks to 24 points from Harri Coker-Grey and double-doubles from Louis Uri (18pts/10rebs) and Dante Tapulaaia (15pts/10rebs). Gus Dallow scored 20 points for St Peter’s.
MAGS 106 – Coker-Grey 24, Uri 18, Tapulaaia 15, Natu Amanuel 13, Jayden Eaton 7
St Peter’s 65 – Dallow 20, Bryan Marsters 11, Spencer Carr 11, Caleb Afeaki 8
At Rosmini College the home team enjoyed double figure contributions from six players as they eased past Westlake Boys High School 112-67.
Guards Chris Wyllie and Harlan Roudon had 18 points and 16 points respectively while Jameer Reed top scored with 22. Noah Rasmussen top scored for Westlake with 15 points.
Though there is a round still to play, plus a make-up game between Auckland Grammar and Mt Albert Grammar to take place, the semi-final line-up looks almost certain to be MAGS v St Kentigern and AGS v Rosmini.
Rosmini 112 – Reed 22, Wyllie 18, Roudon 16, Zion Anderson 15, Josh Batty 12, Noah Johns 12
Westlake 67– Rasmussen 15, Troy Supple 10, Troy Wentworth 10, Hadi Alshami 10
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Standings
12-0 MAGS
11-2 Rosmini
9-3 AGS
8-5 St Kentigern
5-8 Westlake
3-10 Sacred Heart
2-11 Rangitoto
1-12 St Peter’s
NB The AGS v MAGS catch-up game is scheduled for Monday August 14
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