LACEY LOWDOWN

Mt Albert Grammar forward Sharne Pupuke-Robati was the highest individual score of the round scoring 36 points v St Kentigern.

The major feature of the first round of the Auckland Secondary Schools Girl’s Premier competition was a first ever Premier win for St Mary’s College.

However the game of the round was at Rangitoto College where Carmel College came within a whisker of defeating Rangi before going down 64-62 in an exciting finish.

Rangitoto appeared to be heading for a comfortable win at three-quarter time leading 52-42 but 14 final quarter points from Tayla Dalton set up a grandstand finish.

Back-to-back baskets from Estelle Davidson and Dalton sent some alarm bells ringing in the Rangitoto camp forcing Tony Pompallier to call a timeout early in the fourth quarter.

Hannah Wentworth and Mania Spooner scores gave Rangi something of a cushion but Dalton made it seven points on the bounce – 59-56 with 3:20 to play.

The Double-D combination of Dalton and Estelle Davidson made it a one point game but Wentworth’s timely triple eased the Rangi nerves as they led 64-60 with 1:30 to play.

Carmel weren’t finished and Junitta Moa made it 64-62 with 30 seconds to play. Rangi then turned the ball over presenting Carmel with the final possession.

The visitors got a shot off but the effort failed to drop and Rangi breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Earlier a deft left handed drive from Tayla Dalton opened the Carmel scoring – the visitors 19-13 ahead at quarter time despite 8 points from Spooner.

A Wentworth three reduced the margin but Izzy Cartermole replied for Carmel. An Ella Moore triple gave Rangi their first lead of the game but it was short lived as Cartemole landed from beyond the arc also.

Aroha Rogers scored her first basket in Rangitoto colours but was unfortunately forced to the bench with an ankle sprain – Rangi shading the first half 32-30.

Moore began the second half where she left off in the first, with a pair of triples as Rangi extended its lead to 40-32.

Bella Elgar complimented her rebounding efforts with a couple of baskets however a brace in reply from Dalton and one from Georgia Green kept Carmel in touch at three-quarter time. A fourth trey from Moore stretched the Rangi advantage to 52-42 at the last break – a frenzy of action followed in the fourth.

Rangitoto 64 –M Spooner 18, E Moore 13, B Elgar 10, H Wentworth 8

Carmel 62 – T Dalton 30, G Green 10, I Cattermole 7 E Davidson 6

St Mary’s College visited Westlake Girls High for their first ever Secondary Schools Premier game and came away with a 66-56 win.

Jess Moors and Tabitha Leyson scored early threes for Westlake but Jazz Kailahi-Fulu, who finished with a game high 23 points, scored 9 first period points as St Mary’s opened up a 22-13 early lead.

Leyson scored seven points in the second and Zaliyah Kailahi-Fulu replied with the same – St Mary’s ahead 31-26 at half-time.

Jordyn Maddix landed a three and Piper Manolas chipped in with six points as Westlake tied the scores at 44 apiece with ten minutes to play.

The Kailahi sisters combined for 15 points and Riana Matiseni scored six of the last eight points, as St Mary’s dominated the last period to secure a deserved maiden Premier win.

Westlake 56 – T Leyson 11, P Manolas 9, J Moors 8, J Maddix 8, R Dil 8

St Mary’s 66 – J Kailahi-Fulu 23, R Matiseni 13 Z Kailahi-Fulu 10, L Te Nana-Williams 9

St Kentigern College’s first game back in the top flight didn’t have the ideal outcome as they were beaten 81-51 at home by Mt Albert Grammar School.

St Kent’s made an understandably nervy start and fell 18-7 behind in the first period. Misaki Chen and Renee Flay got the scoreboard ticking for the hosts in the second but Sharne Pupuke-Robati, Jada Manase and Moanekah Va’ai helped Mt Albert build a 38-27 half-way lead.

Pupuke-Robati continued to dominate in the second half, going on to total the highest individual score of the round (36 points).

Emma Halliday (10 points) top scored for St Kent’s but they were outgunned on the day and will hope to fare better when they travel to Massey High next Friday.

St Kentigern 51 – E Halliday 10, M Chen 9, C Griffiths 6, N Leishman 5

MAGS 81 – S Pupuke-Robati 36, M Va’ai 16, J Manase 14, T Talo-Tomokino 9

Defending champions Auckland Girls Grammar began their campaign in a successful manner defeating Massey High School 61-50.

Shauna Povey got Massey off to a good start scoring 10 first quarter points to help the hosts establish a 14-11 lead.

Despite triples from Laticia Jost and Terina Aratangi Grammar were able to reel in the hosts in the second quarter. Tuia Tuala and Laetitia Tuaiti scored freely to carry Grammar to a 28-25 half-time lead.

The third quarter was all Grammar – a couple of threes from Laetitia Tuaiti and inside baskets from Mele Latu and Zhannay Hettig propelled them to a commanding 50-36 advantage.

Povey, Aleysha Shuster and Yzabelle Taveo showed some resistance in the fourth but a balanced scoring effort from Grammar ensured a first up win.

Massey 50 – S Povey 22, Y Taveo 10, A Schuster 9, L Jost 5

AGGS 61 – M Latu 14, T Tuala 11, L Tuaiti 11, E Tuaiti 10, Z Hettig 8

The Auckland Secondary Schools Boy’s Premier competition opened on Friday and it was almost a case of who wasn’t playing as to who was. A number of leading players are attending a New Zealand Selection Camp and injuries seem to be aplenty meaning a number of teams were understrength for the opening round.

Firstly though a big shout out and best wishes to Avondale College head coach Doe Williams who is presently out of action recovering from surgery – get well coach!

In the interim Kevin Goodwin has taken the helm of the newly promoted team but his charges were unable to give Coach Doe a get well present going down 85-75 at home to Auckland Grammar School.

The scores were locked at 20 points apiece at quarter time as Connor Ngan and Preston Karatau demonstrated their scoring abilities. Grammar’s Isara Nua had 15 first half points as his team took a 42-39 lead into the break – Jaga Mete had a dozen for Avondale.

Ten points from the outstanding Teancum McCarthy highlighted an even third period but the lead only three in favour of Grammar (62-59) with ten minutes to play.

Mete scored 13 points in the final period for the hosts but a couple of threes from McCarthy and further scores from Nua and Ilasia Tela saw Grammar home.

Avondale 75 – J Mete 32, K Eteru 12, J Cullen 9, P Karatau 8

AGS 85 – I Nua 24, C Ngan 20, T McCarthy 19, I Tela 13

The last time Rangitoto College and Rosmini College squared off was at the Schick Secondary Schools National Final in Palmerston North last October. Remarkably only six players involved in that game took to the court when the two teams met at Rangitoto on Friday night. Even more surprising was the fact that Rangitoto had just one survivor from that 2017 Grand Final and that change of personnel told as Rosmini carved out a commanding 110-59 victory.

David Jovanovic scored the first point of the game but a brace of baskets from Kruz Perrott-Hunt and threes from Terence Abdon and Thomas Morgan sent Rosmini on a 16-0 run.

Ethan Mandeno, the only Rangi player to have played in last year’s national championship game, snapped the charge but Rosmini led 25-11 at quarter time.

Reihana Maxwell-Topia got the scoring underway in the second, another run (10-0) taking the Rozza lead over 20 points.

Mandeno and Tommy Te Puni broke the run but it was 38-15 in favour of the visitors at the mid-point of the quarter.

Composed young point guard Ethan Skelton chipped in with points for Rangitoto but the away support were in full voice at the interval with their team 50-24 to the good. Perrott-Hunt led all scorers at that stage with 17 points.

Joseph Hylton muscled his way to the basket for the first score of the second half before Perrott-Hunt and Mandeno exchanged threes – another three from Abdon (his third of the game) moved Rosmini out to 62-29.

Jovanovic scored a couple of nice inside baskets but so did Maxwell-Topia and Jason Mittef for the visitors.

A put back from Sean Murphy countered a Mandeno floater, the third concluding with consecutive baskets from Reimar Cruz and an 82-46 lead to Rosmini.

The final quarter was largely academic although to their credit Rangi, well beaten on the night, battled gamely until the end.

Rangitoto 59 – E Mandeno 25, E Skelton 14, D Jovanovic 7

Rosmini 110 – K Perrott-Hunt 31, R Maxwell-Topia 22, S Murphy 11, T Abdon 9, J Mittef 9

Thirty-one points from Max Shorter was not enough to get St Kentigern the win as they went down 102-86 in a high scoring encounter with Mt Albert Grammar School.

St Kentigern gave up 28 points in the first period as Saatan Tawera and Ryan Laumatia helped themselves to baskets.

Three triples from Tom Chester and one each from Zac Chan and Shorter highlighted a much improved showing in the second stanza from St Kent’s as they closed to within three points (48-45) at half time.

Mt Albert put their foot down again in the third frame logging 30 points with Rishon Royce and Laumatia doing most of the damage.

Twenty points ahead at the start of the final quarter, Chayse Pinono scored 12 points in the closing stages as Mt Albert cruised to an away win – St Kent’s left to rue a poor defensive effort in the opening quarter.

St Kentigern 86 – M Shorter 31, T Chester 18, Z Chan 11, L Kerr 8

MAGS 102 – C Pinono 27, R Laumatia 20, N Wilson 19, S Tawera 10, R Royce 9

St Peter’s College travelled to Westlake Boys for their first ever Premier Grade fixture but came away empty handed, beaten 69-51.

They made an understandably nervous start trailing 23-14 at quarter time – Josh Koiman scoring six points for Westlake.

Seven points from Oliver Arlove settled St Peters but threes from Dylan Wilkie and Alex Freeman helped Westlake to a 40-27 half-time lead.

Koiman scored another six points in the third as Westlake extended its lead to 58-42 at the three-quarter mark.

St Peter’s, led by captain Whititera Parata, battled gamely in the fourth but failed to make an impression on the Lake advantage.

Westlake 69 – J Koiman 16, D Wilkie 12, J Port 6, A Freeman 6

St Peter’s 51 – W Parata 15, P Leupolu 10, O Arlove 12

Prem Girls roundup will follow on Sunday.

The Auckland Secondary Schools Premier competition begins on Friday but a number of boy’s teams will be down on fire power as a New Zealand Under 17 camp is being held in Rotorua at the weekend.

With the class of 2017 having moved on, the onus falls on a new crop of players to make their mark on the strongest high school basketball competition in the country.

The boy’s playing rosters have changed but the head coaching positions remain unaltered, which is rather unusual. This time last year Dave Mackay had moved to Auckland Grammar and rookie coaches Zac Fitzgerald (Westlake), Karl Buck (Kelston) and Matt Lacey (Rosmini) were dipping their toes into Premier basketball for the first time.

Kelston were relegated at the end of last season and replaced by Senior A League winners St Peter’s College. Junior Tall Blacks assistant coach Leyton Haddleton will take St Peter’s to Westlake hoping Luke Buckingham, Whititera Parata and Phoenix Leupolu can help his youthful side make a good showing on their Premier debut. Look out for Alex Freeman and Paora Winitana Jnr to make an early impression for Lake.

Also promoted are Avondale College who host Auckland Grammar. Avondale, coached by the experienced Doe Williams, recently won the play-off game against Macleans College who like Kelston will be looking for a bounce back season in Senior A. Grammar will be looking for Anzac Rissetto to build on the strong performances of 2017.

St Kentigern College, coached by Aaron Young, could be big movers this year having added Shalom Broughton to the mix. He will suit up alongside the likes of Max Shorter, Alex McNaughton and three-point specialist Zac Chan.

Visitors Mt Albert Grammar, coached by former Tall Black Daryl Cartwright, were one of the form teams in the country at the back end of last season. However they are a much changed outfit this season and will be anticipating guards Ryan Laumatia and Sataan Tawera can provide them with scoring punch.

The game of the round features Rangitoto College entertaining Rosmini College. Both teams will lineup vastly differently to the last time they met in the Schick Secondary Schools National Final back in October.

Injuries, the NZ camp and the departure of some outstanding seniors means the likes of Kruz Perrott-Hunt and Reihana Maxwell-Topia will feature strongly for Rosmini. Expect Ethan Mandeno and Jared Thornton to play extended minutes for Rangi.

Boys draw for Friday May 11, all games with a 7.30pm tip-off:

Rangitoto v Rosmini

Westlake v St Peter’s

St Kent’s v Mt Albert

Avondale v Auckland Grammar

St Kentigern College are back in the Girls Premier Grade competition after winning the Senior A competition last year. Second year coach Michael Aitken will lead St Kent’s as they entertain Mt Albert Grammar. Mt Albert’s Sharne Pupuke-Robati was one of a number of young players that appeared at the Women’s Basketball Championship (WBC) in Tauranga last weekend. The power forward played for Auckland Dream alongside shooting guard Shauna Povey.

Povey will be a key player for Massey High who open against defending champions Auckland Grammar.

Promoted to the Premier Division for the first time are St Mary’s College Ponsonby who defeated Orewa College in the play-off game. A quirk in the fixtures sees Jody Cameron, last season’s Westlake coach, take St Mary’s to play her former charges in the opening game of the season. St Mary’s progress and that of forward Jazz Kailahi-Fulu will be followed with interest.

Bronwen Davidson will coach Westlake this season –  Jordyn Maddix and Mareta Davidson played for Harbour Breeze so should benefit from the playing time obtained at WBC.

Tayla Dalton was the second highest scorer for the Breeze in Tauranga averaging 12.7 points per outing across the three games and she will once again carry much of the scoring load for Carmel College at Rangitoto College. Rangitoto will have a more balanced offense with the likes of Bella Elgar, Kaitlin Burgess and Maania Spooner all capable of making contributions.

Girls draw for Friday May 11, all games with a 6.00pm start time:

Rangitoto v Carmel.

Westlake v St Mary’s, at Westlake Boys

St Kent’s v Mt Albert

Massey v Auckland Grammar