Teams are now starting to jockey for position in the McDonald’s competitions, with Cashmere High School taking sole possession of the number one spot in Division I of the Thompson Trophy, while only three Whelan teams are without a blemish on their record (Middleton Grange, Rangi Ruru and Christchurch Girls’ High).

Avonside Girls’ High’s young team has begun growing more comfortable on court, coming away with two big wins in Division II, first over a much taller Villa Maria team (54-31), where Molly Cockburn finished with 16p, Bella Digby (12p) and Hayley Forster (11p). Casey Robinson led the charge for Villa Maria with 14p. Ellesmere was the next victim of the Lady Eagles, going down 63-53 in an exciting game. Molly Cockburn had 32p this time, while Ellesmere’s Kerra Johansen (20p) and Paris Nurse (17p) kept the visitors close throughout. 

Middleton Grange ran away from Cashmere 95-46, as Lauryn Hippolite (31p) proved to be too much for her less experienced opponents to handle. Megan Ellis also had 31p for the Gators, and Sofia Kennedy 10p. Cashmere’s Emma Robinson and Samantha Irvine both finished with 11p each in the loss. Kaiapoi was next up against Middleton, and a promising first quarter gave way to the usual Gator onslaught, ending up as a 77-47 victory for Middleton Grange. Megan Ellis was a force around the rim (38p), with Lauryn Hippolite (16p) playing the supporting role this time. Helen Matthews (19p) handled the Gators pressure superbly, and Olivia Attewell (10p) proved her worth for Kaiapoi too. Things didn’t get any easier for Cashmere, as they faced Rangi Ruru in Round Six, only going down by a respectable fifteen points (79-64). Alice Sproat (22p) led the way for Rangi Ruru, with Millie Knight (14p), Alida Pohatu-Barnes and Connie Taylor (12p each) scoring in double figures. Rachel Pullan had a twenty point outing for Cashmere, and Samantha Irvine finished with 13p.

Cathedral College and Hillmorton met in a high level Thompson Trophy Division II matchup, but with the game in the balance (five point margin in the fourth quarter), Jibraan Safi went berserk from behind the arc (12p – including three treys in the final quarter). Hillmorton’s Joshua Nickel (21p) was too big for Cathedral to deal with the entire game, Mahnonri Tauiliili-Pau scored 17p, and the sharpshooting Kendrew finished with 20p. Cathedral’s James Rensulat (21p) carried the brunt of their scoring load, with Graeme Patu-Vaegaau and Ace Dosdos both finishing with 11p each. Oscar Hooper channelled Ben Wallace as he finished with 0p (0/1 fg) and 12r. Hillmorton followed up with a solid win against a scrappy Kaiapoi team 97-61, where Kendrew (26p), Tauiliili-Pau (20p) and Nickel (14p) again led the way. Kalem Morgan (14p) top scored for Kaiapoi, with Cameron Wilson (12p) and Sam McCartin (10p) reaching double figures.

Linwood fell to St. Thomas 104-70, as they were treated to 28p from Rhoi Sanchez, but came away with a win they travelled to play Hornby (73-61)in Round Six. This time it was Joshua Galang (23p) leading the way, and JC Kabigting notching a double-double (11p 12r).

Cashmere successfully defended the Dowson Cup twice, first in a 103-33 demolition of St. Bede’s, where only Tom Hughes was able to provide any semblance of resistance (11p). Next up was a slightly shorthanded Christ’s College team (Max de Geest was in China for the Asia Pacific Camp). This game was the one chosen for the New Zealand Broadcasting School to use as part of their practical experience, having use of a $15 million Sky TV truck, to do a fantastic job as they streamed the game on facebook and YouTube. Maxwell Darling made things very exciting down the stretch as he hit four three-pointers in the final quarter en route to 42p, but Tom Crutchley was the only other teammate to hit double figures (13p). Ultimately, it wasn’t enough as Cashmere hung on 72-65. Tom Russ-Hofmas (22p) and Connor McLaughlin (16p) both proving their class, while Mitchell Mahon scored 10p in the win.

Midleton Grange had somewhat of a surprise win, coming out on top of Christchurch Boys’ 88-69. Ben Carlile-Smith (27p), Jarred Burnett (11p) and Fabian Hoekendijk (10p) building the lead for the Gators. Kurt Feneon had one of his higher scoring outbursts (21p) and Nick Aucutt had 10p. Shirley Boys’ High had an expected win over St. Bede’s 81-54, after dropping three of their previous four games. Balance was key here, with Josh Thomson (17p) leading the way. Sean Kelly (14p), Wiremu Waaka (10p), and Solomona Nanai (10p) also getting into double figures in the Spartan win.

 

All Results:

Whelan Division I

Christchurch Girls' 74-38 Kaiapoi

Burnside 74-53 Rangiora

St. Andrew's 54-53 Ashburton

Middleton Grange 95-46 Cashmere

 

Middleton Grange 77-47 Kaiapoi

Rangi Ruru 79-64 Cashmere

Christchurch Girls' 82-31 Rangiora

Ladder

 

Whelan Division II

St. Margaret's 51-50 Hillmorton

Avonside 54-31 Villa Maria

Ellesmere 68-59 Lincoln

 

Hillmorton 49-47 Lincoln

Avonside 63-53 Ellesmere

St. Margaret's 72-54 Villa Maria

Ladder

 

Thompson Division I

Cashmere Boys Basketball 103-33 St. Bede's

Burnside 81-75 Shirley Boys'

Middleton Grange 88-69 Christchurch Boys'

Ashburton 78-66 St. Andrew's

Christ’s 74-68 Rangiora

 

Burnside 80-72 Ashburton

Rangiora 89-66 Christchurch Boys'

Shirley 81-53 St. Bede's

Cashmere 72-65 Christ's College (Dowson Cup defended)

Ladder

 

Thompson Division II

Kaiapoi 100-66 Hornby

Papanui 90-48 Riccarton

Ellesmere 74-52 Lincoln

St. Thomas 104-70 Linwood

Hillmorton 85-65 Cathedral

 

Hornby 73-61 Linwood

Cathedral 86-69 Ellesmere

St. Thomas 77-69 Riccarton

Papanui 100-31 Lincoln

Hillmorton 97-61 Kaiapoi

 

Ladder

over $15 million