Round 13 of the Thompson and Whelan Competitions ended up being quite vanilla, with every result going as per our predictions earlier in the week.

 

Shirley Boys’ got revenge for their first round loss to St. Thomas, with a 96-84 win. The Spartans used exceptional balance to achieve this, as five players registered in double figures: Josh Merrin (24p); Sean Kelly (20p); Joel Jeffrey (19p); Bailey Hern (15p); and Eacan Westwood (10p 8r). Special mention must be made for Theo Russell, who sent back five STC shots in his 16 minutes of game time for Scott Howell’s team.

 

The Cashmere boys easily accounted for Papanui, 93-55, as every player in their 12-man roster got on the court, and scored. Unsurprisingly, it was Connor McLaughlin (26p 8r 8a and 13 steals!) who led the way for Ben Sheat’s team. Ruben Stanley (21p), Jakob Strong-Van Gestel (13p 6r) and Tom Russ-Hofmans (10p 7r) all performed well in the win as well.

 

Christchurch Boy’s High managed to get an important win over Middleton Grange 86-71, without Quinn Clinton. This may be a pivotal game as we approach the playoffs, with Burnside almost locked into one of the two qualifying spots from Pool A. Jack Ansell (29p 9r 8a 7s) was all over the court, with Ben Harris (16p 6a), Cameron Butler (15p 8r) and Kurt Feneon (10p) all helping keep the CBHS score ticking over. Middleton’s Dan O’Brien (24p, 7r) and Angus McWilliam had big games (a 20:20 for McWilliam), but lacked consistent support in the scoring column from their teammates.

 

Burnside is almost assured of a Division I semi-final berth after a 110-74 win over St. Bede’s – who were bolstered somewhat by the return from injury of Jaiden Manera. Liam Reekie had a gigantic game of 30p 9r in the win, with Simon Lafaele (16p 7r), TK Cooper (16p), Toby Gillooly (14p 9r 6a) and Isaiah Morris (12p 6a) able to pick their spots. Brodie Fransen (24p) and Manera (21p) scored in double figures for St. Bede’s, but their entire team struggled against the athleticism of their opponents.

 

Hillmorton booked a semi-final berth in Division II with a 105-50 win over Hornby. Ihaia Kendrew led all scorers with a 33p 8r 5a game, while Joshua Nickel (20p 9r), Jibraan Safi (18p 6r) and Talisau Paulo (16p) all had strong showings in the win. For Hornby, Logan Brunton (13p 7r), Rylu Dequita (11p) and Benji Ah Lam (7p 11r) had respectable lines, but will now go up against St. Andrew’s next week in a tough quarter-final.

 

The St. Andrew’s girls started out in the Whelan Top Eight with a comfortable win over Avonside – using their height advantage to a good effect. Pixie Merito (14p), Rachel Maisey (13p) and Emma Pocklington (11p, 8r) had solid games for Avonside, but Pina Lissaman’s team struggled to maintain possession, giving up 29 turnovers.

Next week’s Division I Thompson and Whelan games will start giving us some clarity for the semi-final match-ups on August 23, as all of the teams want to head into the BBNZ South Island Premierships with a nice bit of hardware to give them some confidence.

 

 

Round 12 Results

 

Thompson Division I:

Christ's 97-72 Cathedral

Christchurch Boys’ 86-71 Middleton

Burnside 110-74 St. Bede's

Ashburton 74-68 Rangiora (overtime)

Cashmere 93-55 Papanui

Shirley 96-84 St. Thomas

 

Thompson Division II:

Lincoln 78-57 Riccarton

Hillmorton 105-50 Hornby

Linwood 85-45 Ellesmere

 

Whelan:

Rangiora 55-53 Burnside

St. Andrew's 95-48 Avonside

Rangi Ruru 76-61 Middleton

Christchurch Girls' 48-41 Ashburton

Cashmere 87-26 Ellesmere

St. Margaret's 56-40 Lincoln