U15 Girls and Boys Make Nationals

What a weekend for NP U15 basketball! The U15 girls' and boys' teams competed last weekend at the BBNZ zone 3 premiership tournament in Porirua for the chance to attend the National U15 tournament in Nelson. Both teams played with passion and committment, and even the supporters came with facepaint and wigs and cheered with pompoms (in blue and gold of course)!

Against tough opposition, both teams rose to the occasion and between them NP only lost one game. With a series of four straight wins the girls' team was undefeated to win their premiership title. The girls' coach Willie Banks couldn't praise his team enough, "What a neat tournament. I thank God for blessing me with the privilege to coach a group of talented and dynamic young ladies. From the beginning I asked this team to give me 100% every game we played and they ended up giving 110% on and off the court."

The U15 boys' team was also successful with 5 wins and 1 loss, losing only to Wellington the eventual tournament winners. With one match going into overtime, against their local rivals TCB, the boys had to dig deep to pull off another win. Coach Brendon Baxter was pleased with his young team, most of whom are bottom age players and so will be eligible as U15s again next year. The boys ended up in 3rd place overall.

We wish both teams every success at Nationals (17-21 October).

Premiership Results as follows:

Girls

NP 45 Wgtn 37 Player of the Match: Grace Major

NP 50 Hawkes Bay 38

NP 66 Hutt Valley Green 24

NP 60 Palmerston North 38 Players of the Match: Connie Poletti and KC Treanor

Boys

NP 60 Hutt Valley 51 Player of the Match: Paul Stephenson

NP 59 TCB 55 Player of the Match: Sunee Calder

NP 77 Wanganui 45 Player of the Match: Paul Stephenson

NP 55 Wellington 80 Player of the Match: Paul Stephenson