NZSS Basketball: Guess who made the Final?!

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.
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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.