LACEY LOWDOWN

The Senior A finalists have been found with Mt Roskill Grammar to take on Liston College in the Boy’s Grand Final and Manurewa High School to face Rangitoto College in the Girl’s championship game.

Mt Roskill Grammar, led by Mitchell Greenaway, used a strong third quarter to see off the Dilworth challenge in the first Boy’s semi-final. 

Regular points from Ikahui Mahe, Kingston Kailahi-Aso and Ezrah Eagle had enabled Dilworth to establish a 34-30 half-time lead.

That advantage was quickly overturned in the third period as Mitchell and Daniel Greenaway reeled off a collective 19 points. Roskill convincingly won the third period 28-15 to lead 55-51.

Eagle, recently named to the New Zealand U17 team, continued to lead the Dilworth resistance although that wilted in the fourth as Alfred Kerr, Ngawaka Rakete and Mitch Greenaway landed threes to seal the victory.

Mt Roskill 82 – M Greenaway 33, D Greenaway 14, Ryan Aramoana 10, Waka 10, Kerr 6 
Dilworth 62 – Ezrah 23, Mahe 10, George Hardie  9, Kingston Kailahi-Aso 8, Nepia Moore 6

In the other semi-final Liston College won a close encounter with Northcote College, prevailing against the regular season champions 74-70.

Aaron Sievert piled on 41 points for Northcote while Rasheed Ieremia led the way for Liston with 28 points.

A tight opening half saw Northcote lead 13-12 at quarter-time and 30-27 at half-time before Liston made their move in the third period.

Ieremia came up with eight points and with Luke Vaipaata, Jeydin Ale and Dhon Lao knocking down threes Liston tuned a three-point deficit into a five-point lead.

Aaron Sievert’s outstanding season continued and with Tane Cook lending support Northcote continued to press for victory. However half a dozen points from Lao and 13 from Ieremia were just enough to book Liston a prized grand-final berth.

Northcote 70 – Sievert 41, Cook 12, Shunta Shinzaki 8

Liston 74 – Ieremia 28, Lao 19, Jeydin Ale 14 

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Rangitoto College, unbeaten all season, were given some worrying moments before prevailing 78-62 against Mt Roskill Grammar School.

Rangitoto took the opening period 24-22 Eva Veale and Maddison Skelton scoring 8 points apiece.

Bree and Nelly Ioane combined for 16 second quarter points and the game was all locked up at half time, 39-all.

Rangi forged ahead in the third stanza as Veale, Kyree Rakena and Sienna Maurice propelled them to 59-46 lead.

Brooklyn Koonwaiyou provided some scoring punch for Roskill before Veale and Mela Andrews sealed the Rangitoto win.

Rangitoto 78 – Veale 26, Skelton 14, Andrews 12, Maurice 9, Rakena 6

Mt Roskill 62 – B Ioane 22, N Ioane 21, Koonwaiyou 10

Manurewa High School will be Rangitoto’s grand-final opponents although it took a big last quarter effort to see off the challenge of Carmel College.

Entering the fourth period the Manurewa lead was only five points (61-56) and an all North Shore final looked a possibility.

However Manurewa would dominate the final stretch 19-6 with Emily Tanira and Bella Manu-Moore combining for 15 points to close out the win.

Manu-Moore scored 11 first quarter points to help Manurewa to a 22-16 lead before Carmel hit back through Ruby Railton and Ella Drake.

A Taisha Tanira triple gave Manurewa a 44-36 half-time lead.

Drake’s third three of the game and Leighton Esera’s first along with 7 points from Zahara Tibbotts meant the Manurewa lead had been trimmed to five points.

An exciting fourth quarter didn’t materialise as Manurewa bossed the final minutes.

Carmel 62 – Drake 18, Railton 12, Annie Gaylard 9, Tibbotts 9

Manurewa 80 – Manu-Moore 26, E Tanira 22, Astrid Henricks 10, Shirley Tuilumu 9, T Tanira 7