Harbour Basketball Report:

NZ Force Harbour Breeze overcame the Otago Goldrush 62-47 in the final of the second National Womens Basketball Championship held at Trusts Stadium Waitakere at the weekend.

To use an old cliché it was a game of two halves. Otago, buoyed by the return of double international Suzie Bates were quickest into their stride. Bates nailed an early three to help them into a double digit lead but an Amanda Harris reply in kind on the stroke of quarter time trimmed the lead, Otago up 23-16 at quarter time.

Mid way through the second period the Otago lead was 31-16 with impressive forward Patrice McKenzie on her way to a double double (19 points/12 rebounds) causing the Breeze all sorts of problems.

Dissatisfied Breeze coach Angela Perrott-Hunt called a timeout, the move at least getting the scoreboard moving as Noni Wharemate and Natasha Hall made a brace of baskets each to reduce the Otago advantage to 33-27. Janet Main converted a drive and bonus on the stroke of half time and Otago were in control at the main break 36-27.

Whatever was discussed at half time worked a treat for the Breeze. Wharemate scored the first seven points of the quarter and Chelsea Terei garnered a steal and a lay up as the Breeze embarked on a 13-0 run.

Incredibly Otago failed to score from the field during the quarter scoring just 5 points from the charity stripe as they lost the period 20-5 and with it any chance of overturning the champions. Things didn’t get any better for Otago in the final period as Breeze guards Terei, Harris and the outstanding Wharemate locked down their opposite numbers.

The penultimate play of the game featured the three most impressive players on court as a Terei (12 points 11 rebounds) steal was followed by a Wharemate (22 points 7 rebounds) dish and a Jody Cameron (7 points 12 rebounds) finish. 

Round Two

Waitakere Trust Stadium

Saturday, July 24
9am
Hutt Valley Flyers 56 (Jess Slade 20, Ava Filipo 12, Margaret Scott 10) NZ Force Cougars 61 (Rhaiah Spooner-Knight 27)

MAGS 66 (Ashleigh Kelman-Poto 13, Morgan Roberts 12, Luiza Roberts 11) Te Wanango O Aotearoa 63 (Sandra Renata 21, Kendal Young 14)

11am
Waikato Wizards 55 (Natasha Lenden 25, Aimee Firmin 14) NZ Force Women’s Academy 58 (Milika Nathan 12, Chevannah Paalvast 11)

Taranaki Trojans 65 (Georgie Richards 16, Jelena Vucinic 14, Terai Sadler 10) Palmerston North Storm 58 (Natalie Moore 18, Jordan Hunter 15)

1pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 62 (Noni Wharemate 22, Chelsea Terei 12) Oceania Otago Goldrush 47 (Patrice McKenzie 19)

1^st  Harbour Breeze

2^nd Otago Goldrush

3^rd NZ Force Academy

4thWaikato Wizards

5^th Taranaki Trojans

6th Palmerston North Storm

7^thNZ Force Cougars 8^th Hutt Valley Flyers

9^th Mt Albert GS

10^th Te Wanango O Aotearoa

BBNZ Report:

The NZ Force Harbour Breeze captain has not been part of the national team set-up since the Beijing Olympics two years ago, but continues to stamp her mark on the domestic game.

Her latest exploits have carried the Breeze to a hard-fought 62-47 victory over archrivals Oceania Otago Goldrush in the WBC second round final at Waitakere.

Trailing by as many as 15 points in the second quarter, the titleholders looked dead in the water, until Wharemate (28) put them on her back and dragged them back into contention.

A pair of baskets broke a 17-3 Otago run as the Breeze edged back to 27-36 at halftime, then Wharemate scored seven straight points out of the break. Moments later, centre Karlene Kingi gave Harbour a lead they never lost.

“I basically told them to wake up,” said coach Angela Perrott-Hunt. “We had just lost our focus on defence.

“We had scouted them, and knew a lot of their plays were run through ball reversal and we had to deny that. They got a lot more looks than we would have liked.”

The Goldrush, sparked by double international Suzie Bates and forward Patrice McKenzie (14 points), had dominated the first half, but could not find the same cohesion in the face of a renewed Harbour effort.

Bates was scoreless in the second half, while McKenzie had just five points. They had indeed created more scoring chances than Harbour, grabbing 18 offensive rebounds and attempting 17 more shots from the field, but simply could not capitalise (22% FG).

They were still within reach with four minutes remaining when McKenzie rimmed out a three-pointer that would have seen Otago close within two points. From the miss, Harbour guard Chelsea Terei finished a fast break with a three-point play that started a 12-0 roll.

Case closed.

Wharemate led all scorers with 22 points (9/14 FG, 4/4 FT), but that didn’t begin to measure her contribution to this win. Her sped and relentless pursuit of the ball left opponents floundering.

“She thinks she’s really unfit at the moment,” marveled Perrott-Hunt. “But she’s just a class act.

“She doesn’t know any other way but to compete at 100% the whole time, whether it’s diving on loose balls or talking to the girls. She’s a fantastic leader.”

Terei compiled a double/double of 12 points/11 rebounds, along with four steals, three assists and a block. For the Rush, McKenzie finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and four steals.

Harbour now enter the finals weekend in Dunedin next month with an unblemished record, but mindful that Bates, who only returned 24 hours previously from the NZ cricket team’s tour of England, will be much better and Otago will enjoy home advantage.

Meanwhile, Palmerston North Storm were the unlucky losers in a scramble for spots in the five-team championship division of the WBC finale on August 19-21.

A 58-65 loss to Taranaki Trojans for fifth/sixth placings this weekend saw them also fall behind NZ Force Academy (third) and Waikato Wizards (fourth). Academy edged the wily Wizards 58-55 in their playoff.