Day four Semi-Finals day Thursday

National Basketball Championships

By Bruce Martin

Waitakere has once again shown that it is an emerging force in New Zealand basketball as three out of four of its Waitakere West Premier basketball teams have made this week’s U13/U15 Grand Finals.

 

Under 15 National Basketball championships – ASB Sports Centre, Kilbirnie, October 8^th-12^th

The Canterbury Under 15 Boys valiant run at the National Basketball championships in Wellington came to a crunching end when it was beaten by a stronger team effort by Auckland 74-63 in Thursday’s semi-final encounter.

Shots that had been dropping earlier in the week often fell short, especially as Canterbury eyed a comeback late in the game but poor defence cost it dearly and Auckland pounced on small errors.

Assistant coach Simon Chan sent his report on the game

The first half was a see-saw affair with both teams playing aggressive defence, forcing turnovers from both sides. The quarter time score of 13-12 to Auckland reflected the tightness of the game. The 2^ndquarter was more free flowing. Consecutive 3 pointers from Kazuki Tsukiji and Jayden Chan gave Canterbury a 4 point lead with 2 mins left in the half, however a late run by Auckland with 6 unanswered points gave Auckland a half time lead of 33 – 31. The 3^rd quarter saw the Auckland side out hustle the Canterbury boys, restricting them to 12 points. The final quarter was basket for basket unfortunately the Canterbury boys were unable to peg back the deficit from the previous quarter.

Leading Scorers: Kazuki Tsukiji 21, Sam Riley 15, Jayden Chan 12.

 

Canterbury will now have to lift its game in the third place play-off against Wellington on Friday afternoon. Auckland now faces a tough hurdle against the defending champion and cross-town rival Waitakere West Premiers in the Grand Final at 5pm. Waitakere had edged out Wellington Black 93-84 in the other semi and should be capable of a strong win.

 

The Canterbury Under 15 Girls, coached by Te Haere Stirling, fought hard and long against Thames Valley in the 5-8 Semi-final and despite several late chances to take the lead Thames Valley snatched victory 74-72 leaving Canterbury to face Hawkes Bay in the seventh pace play-off late on Friday morning. Hawkes Bay was beaten 42-50 in the other 5-8 Semi-final.

In the main semi Harbour devowed New Plymouth 88-44 while Rotorua contined its ‘Rags to Riches’ efforts pulling clear of Rotorua to win the other semi 60-52. This leaves top seed Harbour to face bottom seed Porirua in the Girls Grand Final at 3.15pm.

 

Day four (Thursday) results were: 

Boys:

Main Semi-Finals: Auckland A 74 Canterbury Red 63 (Kazuki Tsukiji 21, Sam Riley 15, Jayden Chan 12), Waitakere West Premiers 93 Wellington Black 84.

5-8 Semi-Finals: Harbour A 93 Rotorua 57, Hawkes Bay 84 Waitakere West A 58.

9-12 Semi-Finals: Counties-Manukau 59 Porirua 51, New Plymouth 82 North Canterbury 81.

13-16 Semi-Finals: Waikato Gold 69 Waikato Black 54, Otago A 76 Nelson Blue 61.

 

Girls:

Main Semi-Finals: Harbour A 88 New Plymouth 44, Porirua 60 Rotorua 52.

5-8 Semi-Finals: Thames Valley 74 Canterbury Red 72, Wellington 50 Hawkes Bay 42.

9-12 Semi-Finals: Waikato A 74 Waitakere West 70, Otago A 58 Harbour B 50.

13-16 Semi-Finals: Auckland A 61 Waikato B 50, Nelson Blue 49 North Canterbury 48.

 

Under 15 National Basketball championships – ASB Sports Centre, Kilbirnie, October 8^th-12^th

Day five (Friday) play-off matches are:

Boys:

Play-off for 15th place:  Waikato Black v Nelson Blue .

Play-off for 13th place: Waikato Gold v Otago A .

Play-off for 11^th place: Porirua North v Canterbury .

Play-off for 9^th place: Counties-Manukau v New Plymouth .

Play-off for 7^th place: Rotorua v Waitakere West A .

Play-off for 5^th place: Harbour A v  Hawkes Bay .

Play-off for 3rd place: Canterbury Red v Wellington Black .

Boys U15 Grand Final: Waitakere West Premiers v Auckland A .

 

 

Girls:

Play-off for 15th place:  Waikato B v North Canterbury .

Play-off for 13th place: Auckland A v Nelson Blue .

Play-off for 11^th place: Waitakere West  v Harbour B .

Play-off for 9^th place: Waikato A v Otago A .

Play-off for 7^th place: Canterbury Red v Hawkes Bay .

Play-off for 5^th place: Thames Valley v Wellington .

Play-off for 3rd place: New Plymouth v Rotorua .

Girls U15 Grand Final: Harbour A v Porirua .

 

 

Under 13 National Basketball championships – TECT Arena Tauranga October 8^th-12^th.

The Canterbury Under 13 boys, under coaches Craig Robinson and Andrew Harrison, came up against Palmerston North in Thursday’s 5-8 semi-final. Canterbury started reasonably well but Palmerston North pulled away to win 75-64. The Canterbury boys now have to face Hibiscus Coast in the play-off for seventh place.

U13 Boys coach Craig Robinson reports from Tauranga

We had a loss, bugger it. Had the lead at half time 40 – 35 and were trailing by 2 at 3/4 but ended up losing by 11 (75-64) our bigs played their hearts out against 4 very quick athletic palmy bigs who, while not huge, were still bigger than us. Captain Will Harrison played well (15 points 6 boards 10 assists) as did Isaiah Morris (21 points 11 boards) Palmy were definitely on the bounce after a poor performance and loss to Nelson and played their socks off. So it is Hibiscous Coast tomorrow for 7/8th.

The Boys Grand Final sees beaten finalist in 2011 up against Harbour at 4pm.

 

The Canterbury Under 13 Girls, coached by Tony Irvine, had to pick themselves up after a heavy pounding in the quarters by Waitakere West Premiers and meet Taranaki Country in the 5-8 semi-final on Thursday. The injury hit Canterbury team gave Taranaki a strong run but fell agonisingly close as Taranaki edged clear to win 82-80. Canterbury now faces Counties-Manukau, which was beaten by Porirua, in the seventh place play-off game at 10.45am.

The U13 Girls Grand Final sees the defending champion Waitakere West Premiers matched up against Auckland.

 

Day four results were:

Boys:

Main Semi-Finals: Harbour A 84 Auckland A 42, Waitakere West Premiers 85 Nelson Blue 47.

5-8 Semi-Finals: Palmerston North Green 75 Canterbury Red 64, Counties-Manukau 68 Hibiscus Coast 54.

9-12 Semi-Finals: Waikato Gold 63 Hawkes Bay 33, Porirua 70 Rotorua 37.

13-16 Semi-Finals: North Canterbury 79 Mid Canterbury 70, Wellington Black 78 Tauranga City A 50.

 

Girls:

Main Semi-Finals: Waitakere West Premiers 86 Rotorua 43, Auckland A 46 Waikato A 40.

5-8 Semi-Finals: Taranaki Country 82 Canterbury Red 80, Porirua 59 Counties-Manukau 48.

9-12 Semi-Finals: Nelson Blue 55 Otago A 33, Harbour A 57 Waitakere West A 34. 

13-16 Semi-Finals: Tauranga City 68 Palmerston North 41, Hawkes Bay 80 Mid Canterbury 55.

 

Under 13 National Basketball championships – TECT Arena Tauranga October 8^th-12^th.

Day five play-off matches are:

Boys:

Play-off for 15th place:  Mid Canterbury v Tauranga City A.

Play-off for 13th place:  North Canterbury v Wellington Black.

Play-off for 11^th place: Hawkes Bay v Rotorua.

Play-off for 9^th place:  Waikato Gold v Porirua.

Play-off for 7^th place:  Canterbury Red v Hibiscus Coast.

Play-off for 5^th place:  Palmerston North Green v Counties-Manukau.

Play-off for 3rd place:  Auckland A v Nelson Blue.

Boys U13 Grand Final:  Waitakere West Premiers v Harbour A.

Girls:

Play-off for 15th place:  Palmerston North v Mid Canterbury.

Play-off for 13th place:  Tauranga City v Hawkes Bay.

Play-off for 11^th place: Otago A v Waitakere West A.

Play-off for 9^th place:  Nelson Blue v Harbour A.

Play-off for 7^th place:  Canterbury Red v Counties-Manukau.

Play-off for 5^th place:  Taranaki Country v Porirua.

Play-off for 3rd place:  Rotorua v Waikato A.

Girls U13 Grand Final:  Waitakere West Premiers v Auckland A.

 

Finals day report on the U13/U15 National championships

By Bruce Martin

 

Canterbury teams fought hard and strong all week at the U13/U15 National championships gaining a Top eight-quarter for all teams against formidable opposition, a testimony to the dedication of the coaches and players alike.

 

Under 15 National Basketball Championships – ASB Sports Centre, Kilbirnie, October 8^th-12^th

The Canterbury Under 15 Boys put their semi-final loss to Auckland behind them as they took on and challenged the winners of Pool four Wellington. Wellington were hurting too after being put out by the powerful Waitakere West Premiers in the semi’s.

Canterbury finished the stronger beating Wellington 74 points to 65 and a creditable third placing after a heavy week against some of the top teams in the country.

Assistant coach Simon Chan reports from windy Wellington.

This game was always going to be a test of the team’s mental toughness playing in front of a very vocal Wellington crowd. The 1^st quarter was a tight tussle as the team swapped baskets, with Canterbury edging to a 12-11 lead at the end of the period. The boys fell away in the second quarter as Wellington took advantage of some lapses in concentration to take the lead at half time by 2 points. Some encouraging words from Coach Ben (Sheat) at half time, got the team focused as they came out of the break to take back the lead by winning the quarter 21 – 16. They continued to push the lead through the final quarter, forcing Wellington to foul in an effort to catch up. As in the earlier game against North Harbour, the boys scored their last 10 points from 10 consecutive free throws to seal the win and take out 3^rd place. It was a deserved win for this team who have shown they can compete with the best teams in their age group in NZ.

Half Time 28 – 30 to Wellington Full Time 74 – 65 to Canterbury

Leading scorers – Sam Riley 14, Kazuki Tsukiji and Quinn Clinton 13, Jayden Chan 11.

Sam Riley (Wolverines) and Kazuki Tsukiji (Burnside) were both selected to the Tournament Team.

Congratulations to the whole team for a job well done.

 

The Canterbury Under 15 Girls were seeded third after a strong showing in the Premierships and looked  set to improve on its 12^th placing last year thumping Waikato B 63-31 and Harbour B 82-64 on the first day. Despite losing its last pool game to Hawkes Bay 55-63 Canterbury topped the pool and meet Porirua in the quarters, loosing that match 52-69. Canterbury then came up against Thames Valley in the semi’s and despite strenuous efforts fell agonisingly close losing 72-74 and a seventh place play-off match against Hawkes Bay again.

In Friday’s play off Canterbury put together another huge effort against the Bay only to again fall short, losing by just 54-57 and finishing a disappointing 8^th place.

For her sustained efforts during the week Sophie Schrader won selection to the Tournament Team.

 

Waitakere West Premiers showed their domination at the two tournaments with the defending champion Waitakere claiming the U15 Boys title in a tight encounter against Auckland, winning 69-58 while top seed Harbour A crushed bottom seed Porirua 94-41 in the Girls Grand-Final.

 

Day five (Friday) play-off matches were:

Boys:

Play-off for 15th place:  Waikato Black 68 Nelson Blue 51.

Play-off for 13th place: Otago A 74 Waikato Gold 64.

Play-off for 11^th place: North Canterbury 74 Porirua 44.

Play-off for 9^th place: Counties-Manukau 69 New Plymouth 66.

Play-off for 7^th place: Waitakere West A 78 Rotorua 69.

Play-off for 5^th place: Harbour A 93 Hawkes Bay 79.

Play-off for 3rd place: Canterbury Red 74 (Sam Riley 14, Kazuki Tsukiji 13, Quinn Clinton 13, Jayden Chan 11) Wellington Black 65.

Boys U15 Grand Final: Waitakere West Premiers 69 (Tai Wynyard 14, Samuel Armitt 10) Auckland 58 (Unique Naboa 25, Samuel Aruwa 13, Elijah Andrews 11). Q1 15-13, HT: 33-26 (18-13). Q3 56-40 (23-14). FT 69-58 (13-18)

Tournament Team: Sam Riley (Lincoln High School U20/Pioneer U17) and Kazuki Tsukiji (Burnside).

MVP - Ken Smith (Waitakere West Premiers)

Officials - Jacob Cromb, Leon Demetriades (Timaru).

 

Girls:

Play-off for 15th place:  North Canterbury 60 Waikato B 36.

Play-off for 13th place: Nelson Blue 62 Auckland A 35.

Play-off for 11^th place: Waitakere West 60 Harbour B 59.

Play-off for 9^th place: Waikato A 56 Otago A 41.

Play-off for 7^th place: Hawkes Bay 57 Canterbury Red 54.

Play-off for 5^th place: Wellington 68 Thames Valley 52.

Play-off for 3rd place: New Plymouth 48 Rotorua 44.

Girls U15 Grand Final: Harbour A 94 (Tera Reed 27, Tiarna Clark 19, Georgia Henare 12 ) Porirua 41 (Shalae Salmon 12, Mereana Hodges 10). HT 50- 19.

MVP - Tera Reed (Harbour A).

Tournament Team: Sophie Schrader (Canterbury).

 

Under 13 National Basketball championships – TECT Arena Tauranga October 8^th-12^th.

First of all, a re-ap back to Thursday. Due to an error on the BBNZ website it was wrongly reported that the Canterbury Under 13 Girls, coached by Tony Irvine, had lost Thursday’s semi-final against

Taranaki Country when in fact they had won the match 82-80 and therefor meet Porirua in yesterday’s play-off for 5^th place. Well done ladies.

Tony Irvine reported from Tauranga yesterday morning that, although it was a tough game against Taranaki Canterbury lead from start to finish. They never led by much while all the girls ‘stood up’ and was ready to play-off for 5^th place instead of seventh.

Friday was another ball game and in their last game of the tournament the Canterbury Under 13 Girls had to settle for sixth placing, well beaten by a sharp Porirua side 73-54.

In the U13 Girls Grand Final Waitakere West Premiers demolished Auckland A 70-41.

Officials - Helaman Begman, Tayla Ammunson

 

The Canterbury Under 13 boys, under coaches Craig Robinson and Andrew Harrison, shaped up to take on Hibiscus Coast in the seventh place play-off and played grand team basketball to pull away to a comfortable 75-42 win.

North Harbour won the U13 Boys championship.

Officials - Melissa Gilmartin-Kara, Santana Ammunson

Day five play-off matches were:

Boys:

Play-off for 15th place:  Mid Canterbury 73 Tauranga City A 59.

Play-off for 13th place:  North Canterbury 68 Wellington Black 64.

Play-off for 11^th place: Hawkes Bay 64 Rotorua 60.

Play-off for 9^th place:  Waikato Gold 70 Porirua 62.

Play-off for 7^th place:  Canterbury Red 75 Hibiscus Coast 42.

Play-off for 5^th place:  Palmerston North Green 66 Counties-Manukau 47.

Play-off for 3rd place:  Auckland A 80 Nelson Blue 53.

Boys U13 Grand Final:  Waitakere West Premiers v Harbour A.

Girls:

Play-off for 15th place:  Palmerston North 66 Mid Canterbury 60.

Play-off for 13th place:  Tauranga City 70 Hawkes Bay 67.

Play-off for 11^th place: Otago A 47 Waitakere West A 45.

Play-off for 9^th place:  Harbour A 54 Nelson Blue 51.

Play-off for 7^th place:  Counties-Manukau 68 Taranaki Country 59.

Play-off for 5^th place:  Porirua 73 Canterbury Red 54.

Play-off for 3rd place:  Waikato A 59 Rotorua 27.

Girls U13 Grand Final:  Waitakere West Premiers 70 Auckland A 41.