Mt Albert Grammar defeated Rosmini College 79-78 in a nail biting Auckland Secondary Schools Boys Premier Grand Final at Trusts Arena on Thursday night.
2022 champions Rosmini and 2023 Regular season champs Mt Albert produced a fitting climax to the Prems season which wasn’t decided until Harri Coker-Grey converted two free-throws with just 7 seconds left on the clock.
The pair of freebies secured MAGS their first premiership title since 2001, much to the delight of their travelling fans.
MAGS had carried a 61-58 lead into the final period but when Zion Anderson (18 points) made an inside basket Rosmini had snaffled a 73-70 lead with 4:30 to play.
Rosmini remained scoreless for a number of possessions and when Kade Cartwright (16 points) nailed a corner three with 61 seconds showing on the clock the scoreline favoured MAGS (76-75).
The reply was instantaneous – Bart Jackowski’s triple giving Rosmini a two-point lead with 39 seconds remaining.
Coker-Grey earned a trip to the foul line to cut the margin to one with 34 seconds to play and after MAGS quelled a Rosmini offence it was HC-G earning another trip to the charity strike.
This time he converted both for the sixth lead change of the quarter and the decisive one.
Earlier 9 first quarter points from Louis Uri, headed for a game high 23 points, propelled MAGS to a 22-18 first quarter lead.
Josh Wyllie scythed through the MAGS defence for a couple of baskets late in the second period but further contributions from Uri and a trey from Logan Wood gave MAGS a 43-34 half-time lead.
Three-point plays from Cartwright and Ethan Lay kept MAGS in the ascendancy but good work from Anderson, Jameer Reed (22 points) and Liam Bates saw the MAGS advantage reduced to those three points with the fourth quarter to play.
Terrific tense, tight entertainment followed!
MAGS 79 – Uri 23/9rebs, Coker-Grey 18 Cartwright 16, Romani Keith-Peraua 8, Wood 7
Rosmini 78 – Reed 22, Anderson 18, J Wyllie 9, Jackowski 8, Harlan Roudon 8
LACEY LOWDOWN 