Wildcats Make the Top 6
Mike Lacey
The second of three tournaments to decide the 2014 Women’s Basketball Championship (WBC) was held in Auckland at the weekend.
The tournament was full of good quality basketball but it took the 25th and final game of the weekend to eventually finalised the top six teams that will contest the championship playoffs in Porirua in July. In fact it was the final 30 seconds of the 25th game before the outcome was decided.
The Waitakere Lady Rangers join the Auckland Counties Manukau Lady Hawks, Waikato Wizards, Oceana Gold Rush Otago, New Zealand Home Loans Canterbury Wildcats and North Harbour Breeze in the top six.
During the weekend Auckland Counties Manukau Lady Hawks underlined their favouritism status by ending the round robin series with an 8-1 record. Boasting an international starting five of the Purcell sisters Kalani, Hailey, Charmian (Mellars), Natalie (Taylor) and Tall Fern point guard Jordan Hunter they will certainly head to the finals weekend as the team to beat. However, they were beaten by North Harbour Breeze and have been given tough games by the other top six teams.
Waikato Wizards (7-2), led by Leanne Walker have good depth with scoring potential right across the squad. Rhaiah Spooner-Knight, Natasha Lenden, Miriam Stevens and Northern Mystics netballer Jessica Tuki have all been in good form and will be the main threat to the Hawks title aspirations.
North Harbour Breeze didn’t have the best of weekends in Auckland but a front court of Rebecca van Kuyk, Deena Franklin and Karlene Kingi is as good as any in the competition and the three times former champions can beat any team on their day.
Oceana Gold Rush Otago forward Samara Gallaher has been in outstanding form recently and along with the backcourt duo of Suzie Bates and Janet Main the southerner’s will pose a serious threat to all the other contenders.
2013 Secondary Schools MVP Tessa Boagni has been averaging a double double for the New Zealand Home Loans Canterbury Wildcats. Ably supported by forward Bridgette Lawn and guards Shea Crotty and Laken Wairau the Cantabs will be keen to impress come finals time.
Contesting the Plate competition will be Capital Flyers, Probands Nelson Sparks, Rotorua Vols, and the Junior Tall Ferns.
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STANDINGS
1st Auckland Counties Manukau Lady Hawks
2nd Waikato Wizards
3rd Oceana Gold Rush Otago
4th New Zealand Home Loans Canterbury Wildcats
5th Waitakere Lady Hawks
6th North Habour Breeze
7th Capital Flyers
8th Probands Nelson Sparks
9th Rotorua Lady Vols
10th Junior Tall Ferns
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