 The National Secondary Schools AA Basketball Championships draw to a conclusion in Palmerston North tomorrow with both 2015 girls and boys winners earning a chance to defend their titles.
The girls final is at 3:30pm followed by the boys decider at 5:30pm. Girls Semi-Final St Peter’s Cambridge have earned the right to defend their National title after battling their way to a 79-76 victory over Auckland Champions Westlake Girls’ High School. Westlake’s game plan was evident from the jump as they attacked inside incessantly. The strategy reaped rewards immediately as St. Peter’s guard Charlisse Leger-Walker picked up three fouls inside of the first 15 minutes, disabling her defence and forcing coach Leanne Walker to shift her off the most potent of Westlake’s wings defensively. However Leger-Walker, a strong contender for tournament MVP, showed her class to eventually finish with a game high 30 points. Kendall Heremaia finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds for the victors. The game was locked at 67-all with three minutes to play, but Leger-Walker and Heremaia proved too tough to handle. Zara Jillings and Tiarna Clarke had top games for Westlake. Mount Albert Grammar School continued their stellar sporting year overcoming Auckland Girls' Grammar School 75-58. Sharne Pupuke-Robati played every minute scoring 31 points and securing 14 rebounds in a powerhouse performance which drove her team. MAGS started quickly leading by 9 points after the first-quarter and extending it throughout the match. For Auckland Grammar Mele Latu and Papa Rionne basically scored all their sides' points, sharing 23 each. Latu also grabbed 22 rebounds in a wholehearted effort. Boys Rangitoto College will be favourites to defend their National crown after defeating Auckland Grammar School for the fourth time this season. Rangitoto have won every game by more than 15 points at this tourney and prevailed 76-59 today. Yesterday Auckland Grammar struggled to contain Christchurch Boys’ High School big man Jack Ansell who scored 42 points. Today the tall frame of Sam Waardenburg proved toxic. The junior Tall Black scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a typically imperious display. Auckland Grammar only shot 34% from the field and surrendered 21 offensive rebounds. Locals Palmerston North BHS won through to the final after a 59-53 victory over New Plymouth BHS. A big second-quarter by Palmerston North holding New Plymouth to six points while establishing an advantage of 11 points was ultimately telling. New Plymouth fought hard until the end, but was unable to overhaul the deficit. For Palmerston North Jack Henry top scored with 19 points and Oscar Olswald contributed 17 points. For New Plymouth BHS, Emmerson Potts-Broughton completed a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Three other players scored double digits.  The first trophies have been awarded at the National Secondary Schools' Basketball Championships in Palmerston North. The A finals were contested tonight with a lopsided decider in the girls section and a nail-bitter in the boys. In the main (AA) event the top four has been decided.
A Champions Decided The A section of this tournament is essentially Division II. The silverware went to Opunake High School in the girls section and St. Kevin's College in the boys. Opunake College thrashed Waihi College (78-46) in the girls decider. Waihi led 15-13 after the opening quarter, but trailed 40-23 at halftime as Opunake established a superiority they never relinquished. Iritana Hohaia and Petra McCowatt top scored for Opunake with 22 points each. The former was also a formidable presence as well collecting 19 rebounds. In the boys final St Kevin's College edged Manukura 71-68. Manukura had the bigger side and dominated most statistics, except turnovers which they lost 19-11. St Kevin's capitalised on this slight, but crucial advantage to prevail. Youheng Peng had a colossal game with 21 points and 14 rebounds for the victors. For Manukura Matangirei Hipango scored 22 points and fetched 19 rebounds. Manukura outscored St. Kevin's 30-12 in the paint! Boys Defending champions Rangitoto College continued their commanding form, avenging their Auckland final defeat to Rosmini College. New Plymouth BHS will achieve their best-ever finish regardless of tomorrow's result while Auckland GS ended Christchurch's promising run and hosts Palmerston North BHS edged Westlake BHS in a thriller. Quarter Final Results Rangitoto: 71 v Rosmini: 52 New Plymouth BHS: 84 v Kelston BHS: 75 Auckland GS: 103 v Christchurch BHS: 93 Palmerston North BHS: 97 v Westlake BHS: 94 Friday Fixtures 3:15pm: Rangitoto College v Auckland GS 7:45pm: New Plymouth BHS v Palmerston BHS Girls St. Peter's Cambridge continued their rampant form eliminating New Plymouth GHS. Mount Albert Grammar School and Westlake GHS were easy winners over their respective opponents while Auckland Girls GS struggled past Hamilton GHS to ensure that the semi-finalists extend no further south than Hamilton. Quarter Final Results St. Peter's Cambridge: 60 v New Plymouth GHS: 36 Auckland Girls GS: 66 v Hamilton GHS: 63 Mount Albert Grammar School: 76 v Melville 55 Westlake GHS: 91 v Waimea College: 59 Friday Fixtures 1:30pm: St. Peter's, Cambridge v Westlake GHS 6:00pm: Mount Albert GS v Auckland Grammar Girls'  The quarter final line-up has been resolved at the National Secondary Schools' AA Championships in Palmerston North. Defending Boys champions Rangitoto College and 2015 Girls winners St. Peter's Cambridge are on course to retain their titles, but will face stiff competition over the coming days.
Boys In a replay of last year's boys final, Rangitoto easily accounted for Westlake 101-79 yesterday. Rangitoto (Zone One champions) have won all five matches and their smallest margin of victory was a 67-46 win over Otago Boys' High School. Rangitoto will face Auckland Champions Rosmini College in the last eight. Rosmini won four games in their pool comfortably, but slipped to Palmerston North BHS 76-73. Palmerston North is 5-0 and has emerged as a potential contender with seven-footer Callum McRae proving hard to contain. In Pool B Wellington and Zone 3 champions St. Pat’s Town have been eliminated with New Plymouth BHS proving tough to foil. New Plymouth has won all five games, also taming top four Auckland side Auckland Grammar School. Christchurch BHS have always appeared to be the strongest South Island side and have proven so with five resounding wins. Quinn Clinton is having an outstanding tournament. Matches today 12:30pm: New Plymouth BHS v Kelston BHS 12:30pm: Christchurch BHS v Auckland GS 2:15pm: Rangitoto College v Rosmini College 2:15pm: Palmerston North BHS v Westlake BHS Girls St. Peter's Cambridge won the tournament undefeated in 2015 and have started 2016 in stellar fashion. Their smallest victory thus far is 27 points against Auckland Girls' Grammar School while the most points they have conceded in a match was 36 against Napier GHS. Mount Albert Grammar School (Zone 2 runners-up), Hamilton GHS and South Island Champions, Waimea College have all come through group play unbeaten. Matches today 12:30pm: St. Peter's Cambridge v New Plymouth GHS 12:30pm: Hamilton GHS v Auckland Girls' Grammar 2:15pm Mount Albert Grammar School v Melville HS 2:15pm: Waimea College v Westlake GHS  New Plymouth Boys' High School have reversed the result of their recent Zone 3 final defeat to St Pats Town by toppling the Wellington Champions 68-60 on Day One of the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Basketball Championships in Palmerston North.
In a key Pool B clash New Plymouth started with a 7-0 run and only briefly surrendered the lead as they scored their second victory of the day. With 2.22 minutes left New Plymouth led 63-60, but conceded a turnover. New Plymouth played swarming man-to-man defense and forced Town's Jonny Joyce into a long and hurried three-point shot. The ball captured noting but air and went out of bounds. With 1.38 remaining Baxter Fenwick finished a reverse lay up to extend the lead to five points which was enough to foil an inaccurate Town. New Plymouth enjoyed success with their zone defense which tricked Town into taking long and unusual shorts, while reducing the impact of their bigger men in the key. At the defensive end of the floor Thane O'Leary had a towering game with a number of key rebounds and steals. New Plymouth's leading scorers were Fraser Meads with 17 points, Max Anderson 13 points and Rashaan Metuariki 10 points. Meads varied the length of his shots while Anderson was full of bustle. For Town Corey Le'aupepe top scored with 19 points, but struggled at times to break the double and triple team attention he was receiving. Francis Mulvihill played with a lot of energy and finished with 18 points while Kaeleb Tyner struggled to find his range and only contributed 9 points. New Plymouth won three out of the four quarters and their largest lead of the match was 11 points. For All Day One Results Follow This Link. College Sport Media will have coverage from the championships throughout the week. http://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-5010-0-0-0  The 2016 New Zealand Secondary Schools Basketball Championships start in Palmerston North tomorrow and run all week. As defending champions and recent Girls Zone 2/Waikato-Bay of Plenty tournament winners, St Peters School, Cambridge will be one of the teams to beat.
School: St Peters School, Cambridge Senior A squad: Georgie Edgecombe, Charlisse Leger-Walker, Briana Sanders, Kirsten Rawson, Ella Bradley, Jayzelee Waihi, Siobhan Nuri, Sinead Nuri, Sydney Johnson, Kendell Heremaia, Emma Baker, Francesca Piceno. Senior A team coaching staff: Leanne Walker, (Head Coach), Anthony Corban (Assistant Coach), Brent Sanders (Manager), Waiotahi Williams (Student Manager) 2016 Senior A team captain: Kendell Heremaia 2016 Representative players: Kendell Heremaia, Charlisse Leger-Walker – Junior Tall Ferns (NZ U19 women) and NZ U18 3x3 world championship team; Charlisse Leger-Walker and Ella Bradley NZ U16 Waikato U17 Reps – Charlisse (tournament MVP) and Ella (gold medallists – nationals); Waikato U19 Reps: Kendell Heremaia, Siobhan Nuri (runners up-nationals); Waikato U23 women – Kendell Heremaia (gold medallists) (tournament MVP), Waikato women – Kendell Heremaia (runners-up WBC). What’s it going to take for your school to do well in the NZSS Nationals? Solid defence, doing the small things well. Being injury free, being persistent and poised. What local competitions has your school team played in this year and how did your team go? Basketball New Zealand Secondary Schools AA tournament: Zone 2 Regionals – Winners Waikato Secondary Schools League. Who are your school’s closest rivals on the court? Hamilton Girls’ High School – always a tough battle with these young ladies. The teams know each other well as they train and play together at representative level. Tell us about a memorable game your team has played this year? Pool play in the Waikato Secondary Schools tournament versus Hamilton Girls’ High School. It was tied at fulltime on two-long range, banked 3 pointers from HGHS, but we won in overtime by 3. How many players are returning to the NZSS Nationals from last year and what’s the age balance? One Year 9, three Year 10’s, four Year 11’s, one Year 12 and three Year 13’s. We have eight players returning from last year’s team. Two players are back for a third national tile tilt. Kendell and Charlisse bring a wealth of experience, both from secondary school, regional and national levels. They willingly share their knowledge and experience with their team mates. Does your team have a philosophy that it comes together under? Make adjustments, not excuses. Who are the individuals in your team that are successful in other sports? Charlisse – netball, touch; Georgie – netball, touch, athletics, swimming; Ella – cross country, netball, equestrian, touch; Sydney – rowing; Briana – touch; Emma – cricket; Francesca – surf lifesaving. What other support has your team received? Parents and a number of businesses have been super supportive and for this the girls are extremely grateful. We have had an extended support base within our school too, with people who help on our benches, come to games, referee for us, or scrimmage against us if we need, so those people are invaluable to our team. Who are the recent former players that have played for this St Peter’s team now playing at an elite level? Krystal Leger-Walker – Last year’s captain, tournament MVP, Tall Fern, Junior Tall Fern, currently at University of Northern Colorado in her first semester/season. Coming back to represent NZ in the world 3x3 tournament in china – October 11th to 15th. Waiaria Putaranui-Henderson – team member 2014 and 2015. Studying and playing this year at California State University - East Bay.
25/9/2016
Hillmorton Basketball on a High The Hillmorton High School basketball team in southern Christchurch didn't win a single game last year and hadn't attended the South Island championships for 20 years.
On Monday, after raising $10,000, Hillmorton will travel to Palmerston North to contest the National A Championships with 11 other teams. It's the first time Hillmorton has attended the event and Year 11 shooting guard Ihaia Kendrew enthuses it's a big deal around campus. "We're really excited. A lot of hard work has gone into this. We feel like we have won respect and deserve to be there. We know there are seven North Island teams so it will be tough, but we will give it our best," he says. Hillmorton competes in Division II of the Thompson Trophy. A change of coach at the start of the season brought about a greater work ethic. The team is mentored by Canterbury Ram, Inga Solofuti. "Inga really relates to the boys. He has been in high teams so we respect him and his knowledge," Kendrew acclaims. Kendrew's performances have earned plenty of acclaim. The Canterbury U17 representative has produced a number stellar games to carry his college to several unexpected victories and eventually the final of the competition. Kendrew top-scored in the wins against Linwood High School (22 points), Riccarton High School (35 points) and Lincoln High School (29 points). He also toiled gamely in tight defeats to St. Bede's College (19 points) and Ellesmere College (29 points). In the final Kendrew scored 30 points and collected 11 rebounds as Hillmorton narrowly fell to St. Andrew' College 85-77. "It was a team effort to reach the final. There are a lot of Year 11 and 12 boys in the team so we are confident we will learn from the experience," Kendrew says. Kendrew was selected for the West Boys All Star team. "It was great to get into that team and play alongside and against some awesome talent," Kendrew recalls. The South Island championships were staged in Dunedin and after fundraising several thousand dollars to reach Otago, Hillmorton stunned the field and perhaps even themselves when they beat Kavanagh College (63-60) and Mackenzie College (101-15) to win through to the semi-finals. The top five teams were guaranteed a place at Nationals. Despite losing the semi-final to Catholic Cathedral College (55-79), the most stunning result was yet to come. In the playoff for third Roncalli College was thrashed 84-68. Kendrew scored 47 points! "That's the most points I have ever scored. It was a pretty amazing game, but everybody played well," Kendrew humbly explains. Other players to watch to in the Hillmorton side include Josh Nichol and Afghan refugee Jibraan Safi. Despite the success there was no guarantee Hillmorton would be able to attend Nationals. Hillmorton isn't plush with resources and socks had to be rolled up for the funds to be raised. "We did a lot of fundraising, sausage sizzles and the like, but mostly we have to thank our supporters. People have been very generous with their money and given us this big opportunity," Kendrew says.  The National Secondary Schools’ Basketball Championships tip-off in Palmerston North next week. Across the 24 teams there will be an abundance of talent on display. Here are some names worth keeping a close eye on.
Sam Waardenburg (Rangitoto College) – The 6ft8 guard will be a vital player for the defending champions. A junior Tall Black who represented New Zealand at the 3×3 World Championships earlier this year, Waardenburg led Rangitoto to the Zone 1 title and has landed himself a NCAA Division I scholarship at the University of Miami in 2017. Taine Waitte (Rosmini College) – After a sluggish start to the Auckland Championships, Rosmini won 12 games on the trot to capture the title. The quick, skilful and free scoring Waitte was a major factor in the success. He top-scored in an extra-time victory over Westlake BHS and contributed double-digit figures in both wins against Rangitoto College. Isaac Letoa (Westlake BHS) – A junior Tall Black, Letoa was selected for the Wellington U17’s as a 14 year-old before shifting to Auckland. At Westlake he has been involved two National finals. A swift mover with great hands and an accurate jump shot, Letoa is the architect of most of Westlake’s offense. Panashe Nyashanu (Hamilton BHS) – Hamilton BHS won the Zone 2 tourney with a series of massive victories. The scores were: St. Paul’s Collegiate (114-31), Trident High School (111-48), St. John’s College B (101-28), Gisborne BHS (93-34), Te Awamutu College (101-81), Tauranga BC (81-62), Melville High School (87-51), St. John’s College, Hamilton (96-69). Hamilton are a vastly improved side. The achieved a top three finish in Super 8 and could cause some upsets. Nyashanu is a house captain who plays with maturity. He is quick across the floor and has the ability to get inside the key and score regularly. Jaxson MacFarlane (Napier BHS) – Napier BHS won the Super 8 and MacFarlane captaining the side and making the tournament team was an integral competent of that success. Standing nearly two-meters tall, MacFarlane has represented the Hawke’s Bay Hawks in the last two seasons of the National Basketball League. Marcos Edwards (Hastings BHS) – The Super 8 player of the tournament in 2015 was in fine form during the Zone 3 tourney top-scoring twice in victories for his side. Edwards is a sharp-shooter with speed and agility. Taane Samuels (Scots College) – After topping the first round of the Wellington competition, Scots fell away in the finals because Samuels was overseas. The big man is a prolific scorer who seeks domination inside the key. Samuels proved his quality when he top-scored against eventual Wellington finalists St. Pats Town and Wellington College in Scots victories. Callum McRae (Palmerston North BHS) – The tallest player in New Zealand stands 7ft1 and has been the subject of interest from several US universities. A New Zealand U17 representative who was selected for the NBA Basketball Without Boarders camp in Melbourne, McRae with his sheer size is obviously a formidable asset for Palmerston North. Corey Le’aupepe (St. Pats Town) – Top scored in the Wellington final with 30 points, the guard has been vital in Town’s Wellington and Zone 3 championship triumphs. Strong inside the key, Le’aupepe in a robust defender as well who frequently tops the rebound and blocks count. Quinn Clinton (Christchurch BHS) – The Canterbury Ram was named MVP of the Canterbury final after a 15/10/7 outing against Burnside High School. Clinton was the top scorer in the Canterbury competition and was in imperial form during the Zone 4 tourney. Christchurch appear to be the strongest team from the South Island. Hunter Aarts (Christ’s College) – Christ’s bounced back from 20 and 40 point thrashings to Cashmere High School during the season to beat them by three points in the third-fourth playoff at the South Island championships. The result completed a remarkable turnaround from a year ago, when Christ’s finished 13th in the South Island. Christ’s are heading to the AA Nationals for the first time and captain and centre Hunter Aarts is one to watch. A rep standard player, Aarts had an accurate jump shot and can be a big presence inside the key. Looking for $40000 University of Waikato Study Scholarships CLICK HERE Looking for Sport Exchange Opportunities to Australia CLICK HERE  The 2016 New Zealand Secondary Schools Basketball Championships are being held from 26 September - 1 October in Palmerston North. Leading up to the tournament, College Sport Media is profiling some of the teams likely to feature.
Defending NZSS champions Rangitoto College will go into the tournament as the recent Boys Zone 1/Northern Region Secondary School tournament winners. School: Rangitoto College Premier squad: Brayden Inger (Year 13), Cameron Stone (Year 12), Daniel Fotu (Year 12), Ethan, Mandeno (Year 10), Harrison Clarke (Year 12), Harrison Payne (Year 10), Hyrum Shin (Year 13), Kaycee Anibueze (Year 13), Logan Anderson (Year 12), Logan McIntosh (Year 11), Sam Waardenburg (Year 13), Zack Te Puni (Year 12) Premier team coaching staff: Kenny Stone (Head Coach), Luka Crosbie (Assistant Coach) Premier team captain: Brayden Inger What’s it going to take for your school to do well in the NZSS Nationals? We must play with passion and heart and we have to play as a team. What local competitions has your school team played in this year and how did your team go? We won the regular season of the Auckland Premier competition and took second in playoffs [lost to Rosmini College 84-88] We won the Zone 1 qualification tournament [beat Auckland Grammar School 91-57]. Who are your school’s closest rivals on the court? Westlake Boys’ High School is our traditional rival as we have had good battles with them over the years and Westlake was the powerhouse. Rosmini College has formed a good rivalry as they have elevated their level of play and have beaten us twice this year. Tell us about a memorable game your team has played this year? Our Auckland Premier semi-final against Auckland Grammar was played on the same night as the school’s Year 12 Ball. All Year 12 players were away and we had one player injured. We played that night with six players and won by 5 points. We played with such heart and effort. It was a great win. How many players are returning to the NZSS Nationals from last year and what’s the age balance? We have three players who are returning for the third time. We have four players who are returning for the second time. We have four Year 13s, five Year 12s, one Year 11 and two Year 10s. Who are the individuals in your team that play other sports? Dan Fotu and Brayden Inger both played for the school volleyball team. Hyrum Shin played for the school rugby team. What other support has your team received? We have great support from the school, including Sherilee Penty as our Teacher in Charge. The parental and family support for the team is fantastic! Who are the recent former players that have played for this Westlak team now playing at an elite level? Tai Wynyard – Tall Blacks / University of Kentucky, Isaac Fotu – Tall Blacks / Spain, Derone Raukawa – Tall Blacks Looking for $40000 University of Waikato Study Scholarships CLICK HERE Looking for Sport Exchange Opportunities to Australia CLICK HERE  The 2016 New Zealand Secondary Schools Basketball Championships are being held from 26 September – 1 October. Leading up to the tournament, College Sport Media is profiling some of the teams likely to feature. Westlake Girls’ High School go into the tournament as the recent Girls Zone 1/Northern Region Secondary School tournament winners and are looking forward to travelling to Palmerston North for the nationals. School: Westlake Girls’ High School Senior A squad: Rose Davidson, Zara Jillings, Tiarna Clarke, Keeley Tini, Sophie Dil, Jordyn Maddix, Mareta Davison, Chanel Brodeur-Muir, Emme Shearer, Piper Manolas, Siamau Talafou, Jessica Moors, Alesha Nathan (squad member), Christine Ling (squad member), Hannah Simpson (squad member) Senior A team coaching staff: Jody Cameron (Head Coach), Stephen Dil (Assistant Coach), Jemma Field and Matt Cable (Managers) Senior A team captain : Rose Davidson (C) and Zara Jillings (VC) 2016 Representative players: Rose Davidson (Harbour U19, U23), Zara Jillings (NZ U18 3x3 team, Junior Tall Fern and Harbour U19), Tiarna Clarke (NZ Select Team, Junior Tall Fern and Harbour U19, 23), Keeley Tini (Harbour U17, 23), Sophie Dil (Harbour U17, 23), Jordyn Maddix (NZ U16, Harbour U17), Mareta Davison (NZA U16, Harbour U17), Chanel Brodeur-Muir (Harbour U17, 23), Emme Shearer (Harbour U15), Piper Manolas (Harbour U17), Jess Moors (Harbour U15) What’s it going to take for your school to do well in the NZSS Nationals? Our success this season has started with defence. We try to control the tempo of the game and make sure we do all the little things well. What local competitions has your school team played in this year and how did your team go? We played in the Auckland Premier Girls Competition where we lost to a very good Mt Albert Grammar School side in the semi-finals. We managed to do better in the Zone 1 Qualifying tournament where we came first, beating MAGS and Auckland Girls’ Grammar along the way. Who are your school’s closest rivals on the court? This season we have had great games against Auckland Girls’ Grammar, MAGS and Rangitoto College, sharing wins over the 2-3 times we have met each side. Traditionally Rangitoto, being our North Shore neighbours, have been closet rival, but this season we have really enjoyed matching up with AGS. Tell us about a memorable game your team has played this year? Our pool match against Auckland Girls at the Regional Qualifying tournament was an amazing game. A real battle, with neither side giving an inch the entire game. We were down for much of it (by as many as 10 points at some stages) but came back strong over the second half to win 79-75. We were really proud of the way our girls stood up in the pressure moments of that game. How many players are returning to the NZSS Nationals from last year and what’s the age balance? We have a good mix of senior and junior players. In our wider squad we have six year 13 players. Zara, Rosie and Tiarna are the leaders of our team and do a great job showing the way for the junior girls coming through and make sure they meet the high standards expected. At the same time many of our juniors have bright futures and have really risen to the challenge of pushing our seniors hard for playing time. For six of our team this will be their first NZSS Champs. Does your team have a mascot or a philosophy that it comes together under? Not really, but we would love someone to volunteer as our mascot. We are happy to provide a swan suit if needed. Ultimately our philosophy revolves around playing together, understanding your job and doing it as well as you can. We need everyone to make a contribution to the team. Who are the individuals in your team that are successful in other sports? We have a number of players who excel at other sports like netball and volleyball and also in the classroom, but the most interesting non-basketball achievement in our squad this year was from Zara Jillings who was selected to attend the London International Youth Science Forum; a two-week live-in event with 500 other scientists from 75 countries. What other support has your team received? We are really grateful for all the family support we have received this season. Whatever we have needed they have been willing to do it; from sausage sizzles to stats to bench duty to after match functions. Who are the recent former players that have played for this Westlak team now playing at an elite level? Deena Franklin (Tall fern), Katelin Noyer (Fresno State), Georgia Perrott-Hunt (North Dakota State)
20/9/2016
Think Quick, Don’t Hurry! St. Patrick’s College, Town have enhanced their growing reputation in 2016 by adding a Zone title to their Wellington Secondary Schools basketball crown.
Corey Le’aupepe says a valuable lesson was learned in pool play when Town stumbled to New Plymouth BHS. “We came out real tentative in that game and fell behind by more than 20 points. We managed to cut the deficit in half, but we left ourselves with too much work to do. Our coach Frank Mulvihill has a saying, ‘think quick, don’t hurry.’ It means make smart, decisive decisions. We didn’t do that,” Le’aupepe concedes. An easy win against Lindisfarne College lured Town into a false sense of security. “We won that game easily, but took our foot off the pedal because we could get away with it,” Le’aupepe admits. The most impressive victory in Pool Play was the 82-50 trouncing of Super 8 Champions Napier BHS. “I was surprised we won that game as easily as we did. They are a good side, but we managed to shut down their key scorers from the outset and they struggled,” Le’aupepe recalls. Palmerston North BHS boasts the tallest player in the country in seven-foot giant Callum McRae. Le’aupepe was assigned the task of marking McRae in the semi-finals. “That was a tough ask. He is a tough object to move. I tried to be as physical as possible and let him know I was there. Unfortunately I fouled out in the last quarter.” Despite Le’aupepe ‘s premature exit, Town led by two points late in the game. Le’aupepe explains what happened next. “They had two free throws to tie the game. They missed both and we managed to hang on to the ball and run down the clock. That game was the definition of a team effort. It was the highlight of the tournament,” Le’aupepe acclaims. Town was again haunted by their slow starts in the final against New Plymouth, but recovered quickly to lead after the first quarter and for the remainder of the match. Town will face New Plymouth again at the Nationals in Palmerston North next week. Town’s group also features: Auckland Grammar School, Christ’s College, Nelson College and Mount Albert Grammar School. Auckland GS, who finished in the top four in Auckland, is arguably the toughest threat. St Pat’s Town’s Road To The Title Pool Play: Lindisfarne College, 97-62 Pool Play: Napier BHS, 82-50 Pool Play: New Plymouth BHS, 70-83 Pool Play: Feilding High School, 87-56 Quarter-Final: Hutt Valley High School, 93-50 Semi-Final: Palmerston North BHS, 70-68 Final: New Plymouth BHS 84-73 |
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