McDonald's Thompson and Whelan Round Eight Recap

St. Bede’s got their first #McDsTT Division One win in 2017, with a gritty win at Rangiora’s home gym 71-65 where scoring was at a premium in the dying stages of the game. Tom Hughes had a superb game in the win (18p 8r 5a), and was ably supported by Rchi Lugtu (15p) and Joma Mabazza (12p 5s). Caleb Conyers didn’t quite reach double figures in any category, but was very, very close to our first recorded triple double of the season (9p 8r 7a), while Liam McIvor had 8p and 11r for St. Bede’s.

Shirley Boys’ leapt out to a 44-21 lead at the half over a weakened Middleton Grange team (most notably Angus McWilliam away with the Anchor Junior Tall Blacks), before the Gators came storming back to only be down 75-67, eventually succumbing to the Spartans 79-67. Hamsa Shire led Shirley Boys’ in scoring (15p), with forwards Josh Thomson (13p), Wiremu Waaka (12p) and Joel Jeffrey (10p) keeping the Gators’ bigs off the glass. Amazingly, the Shirley Point Guard, Sean Kelly, finished with a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. Middleton’s Jonte Britten led all scorers (20p), while Ben Carlile-Smith had 19p and Fabian Hoekendijk 12p.

In Division II, Cathedral College was too fast and well-oiled for a young Linwood team to handle, scoring a 99-41 win. Six players hit double figures for Cathedral: Graeme Patu-Vaegaau 20p; Charles Navasquez 13p; Liam Illustre 13p; Alatasi Tiatia 12p; James Rensulat 10p; Samm Abella 10p 6r. Regular club referee Oscar Hooper had his way on the boards too – grabbing 5-second chances for Cathedral (11 total rebounds). Hillmorton had a much closer than anticipated game against a rapidly improving Ellesmere team – needing 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to get some breathing room in their 73-59 win. Hillmorton had great balance in their scoring, but tellingly, only two players reached double figures this game (Joshua Nickel and Mahonri Tauiliili-Pau both getting 12p each). Sean Lemon led the charge for Ellesmere (16p), with Bailey Clark and Jerome Taefu both netting 12p each.

In the Whelan Trophy Competition, the Junior Tall Ferns left two teams shorthanded, but the luck of the draw saw these two teams from Burnside and Middleton matched up. A fantastic game ensued, as players not used to carrying an important scoring load found themselves thrust to the forefront of their respective offenses. Burnside found themselves up six near the end of the fourth quarter, but some clutch baskets for the Gators saw this lead vanish. With a chance for the lead, Burnside was stifled, and unable to get a shot off. A Middleton Time Out, and a well-executed set, saw Megan Ellis’s rolling shot attempt just fall off the rim, and we headed into OT at 64-64. Lori McDaniel’s young team learned quickly here, and managed to pull together a 7-0 run to win 75-72. Sila Morris stood out (34p), while Paige Willman (20p) and Rallen Lazo (13p) scored well. Middleton was paced by Megan Ellis (22p), Katie Jo Van Den Bogaret (20p) and Sofia Kennedy (13p).

In Division II, Avonside and St. Margaret’s met in a potential preview of the Division II championship game – for all intents it looked like it was going to be another St. Margaret’s win, before a huge 14-3 run to close the game saw the Lady Eagles steal the win 48-46. Molly Cockburn (16p) and Hayley Forster (13p) were both instrumental in the comeback for Avonside. Lina Pale was a load in the post for the smaller defenders, but found herself as the only player to reach double figures for St. Margaret’s (10p). Hillmorton was able to lead for three quarters of their game against Ellesmere. Unfortunately, for the hosts, the fourth quarter was not one of the three, as the visiting team flipped a 57-61 deficit into a 74-68 lead, eventually winning 78-72. Kerra Johansen was huge in the win (33p), and Paris Nurse (20p) and Emily Andrew (10p) helped in the scoring department too. Hillmorton’s Holly Iafeta (21p) led the Lions, with Michelle Scott and Holly Carlisle-Reeve scoring 20 and 14 respectively.

Both competitions now take a break over the holidays – with games set to resume on at the start of August.

 

All Results:

Whelan Division I

Burnside 75-72 Middleton (OT)

Kaiapoi 54-43 Rangiora

Christchurch Girls' 78-62 Cashmere

Ladder

 

Whelan Division II

Avonside 48-46 St. Margaret's

Ellesmere 78-72 Hillmorton

Villa Maria 51-43 Lincoln

Ladder

 

Thompson Division I

Burnside 84-62 Christ's

Ashburton 77-58 Christchurch Boys'

Shirley 79-67 Middleton

St. Bede's 71-65 Rangiora

Cashmere 119-68 St. Andrew's

Ladder

 

Thompson Division II

Riccarton 67-63 Kaiapoi

Papanui 134-54 Hornby

Cathedral 99-41 Linwood

Hillmorton 73-59 Ellesmere

St. Thomas 98-80 Lincoln

Ladder