Harbour Breeze recovered from a disastrous start to the season to claim the Plate title at the 2017 Women’s Basketball Championships (WBC) play-offs at Cowles Stadium on Saturday night.

 

The Breeze lost their opening four games of the campaign but finished the season with ten wins from the final eleven games. During that run they managed to inflict the only defeat of the season on Alloyfold Canterbury Wildcats, in fact the only defeat in 28 games over the past two seasons – Harbour winning 67-55 down in Christchurch back in May.

 

However heading back to Christchurch without Deena Franklin, Georgia Agnew and Zara Jillings, all absent on Tall Ferns international duty, Harbour could have been forgiven for viewing the trip with trepidation.

 

However, boosted by the return of Ella Fotu from her sophmore year at Hawaii Pacific University, Harbour won five straight games to lift the Plate trophy in a tense final against Waikato Wizards.

 

The Breeze got off to a slow start and trailed 18-10 at quarter time. The Sonny Tuapta outfit kept hanging on to Waikato’s shirt tails trailing 39-37 with ten minutes to play.

 

Still the deficit couldn’t be hauled in and when Waikato guard Alyssa Hirawani landed her fourth three of the game to give Waikato a 52-47 lead with four minutes to play things looked bleak for Harbor.

 

However a couple of possessions later Anna Lacey responded with a triple herself to tie things up with 2:50 to play.

 

A flurry of scoring in the final seconds saw an Ella Fotu three edge Harbour ahead 55-53 with 1:10 on the clock.

Natasha Lenden cancelled out Coola Baudry’s inside basket 57-55 in favour of Harbour with 20 seconds to play.

 

Fotu (the leading scorer in the game) and Lacey made four from four free throws between them but Waikato found a trey from the unlikely source of Miriam Stevens leaving one last play to reverse a three point deficit.

 

Stirling Pitman was given that opportunity when fouled attempting a shot from beyond the arc – fortunately only one was made and Harbour snatched the win despite leading for only the last 70 seconds of the game.

 

Harbour Breeze 61 – Fotu 15/7r/4stls, Diakhaby 10/15r, Lacey 9, Berry 8, Perrott-Hunt 7, Baudry 6,

Waikato Wizards 59

 

On the previous two days Harbour had beaten Rotorua Vols, Te Tai Tokerau Phoenix, Auckland Lady Rangers and Tauranga City Coasters to set up the appearance in the Plate final.

 

Results:

Breeze 61 – Diakhaby 15/12r, Berry 12, Uluheua 10, Fotu 9/9a

Rotorua 52

 

Breeze 76 – Diakhaby 19/10r, Fotu 17/8r/5a, Uluheua 12, Berry 10,

Te Tai Tokerau 27

 

Breeze 70 – Fotu 22/9r, Bell 15/7r, Perrott-Hunt 10, Baudry 9/6r

Auckland 60

 

Breeze 75 – Fotu 26, Baudry 9/6r, Uluheua 9, Lacey 6, Blair 6

Tauranga 56