“Our guard O’Neill Wilson-Peipi is having reconstructive surgery on her right knee at the end of the month, but she was still running as best she could and passing well.”
Ngati Porou captain McMenamin, who nominated Kellann Kemp as the defending champions’ best on the night and who hit three three-point shots, said: “It felt like a long game — we had only one sub — but then again, they had no subs.”
Ngati Porou’s Shay Waikawa (9pts) had an excellent night. Having made the whistle her own in the men’s league on Monday night, she controlled Campion versus Lytton yesterday evening, marked her own match-effort in Game 2 with an unbelievable blind reverse lay-up against Girls’ High powerhouse Harata Hailey, and then joined the coaching ranks, on behalf of Rovers.
Hailey has been one of the league’s most improved players — in the past two years especially — and she kicked things off in Game 2 with a superb play, fronting experienced defender Paare Ahuriri-Leach, receiving a great pass from Paris Wilson (younger sister of O’Neill) and taking the ball powerfully to the hoop to score in the game’s most memorable drive-move.
Petra Sparks was superb. The 15 year-old Campion captain led all scorers in the clash with Lytton, posting 17 points in a solid display of skill at both ends of the floor.
She hit three-pointers on either side of quartertime and set a good example for defensive rebounding that her teammates — notably sisters Georgia and Lauren Bennett of Campion Senior A netball fame — were quick to follow.
Manaia Hutana scored six points for the Bs, who rallied throughout the match without subs. The score was 5-5 at the end of the first period, Lytton took a 12-10 lead at the break, then Campion took a 22-16 advantage at three-quartertime, due to the heroics of their guard Anna Spring (11pts), who outran everybody in scoring four straight field goals after halftime.
Hutana and Sparks agreed — it’s not easy to play up-tempo basketball without substitutes.
“We had only two subs; we normally have six,” Sparks said.
“Apart from that, we boxed out when rebounding. That was important for us.”
YMP and Rovers were always going to produce fireworks of the friendly kind, and so it proved.
Monique Tapp, Leigh Curtis and Kayela Campbell all made three-point shots for Rovers, and their 15 year-old captain, Jayda Nepe, gave a perfect lead-pass and assist to Keshia Cooper in the third period.
But the tough-as-teak YMP unit, though the game was hotly contested, were always ahead — 7-0, 22-7 and 28-9.
Wanita Tuwairua-Brown led YMP’s scorers with 15 points and showed admirable composure, Melissa Mackey-Huriwai (10pts) relieving her burden with attacks on the hoop and former American College player Dylani Johnson (6pts) joining forces with Tuwairua-Brown to deny Rovers scoring opportunities inside, let alone put-backs.
“That game was rough, tough, hard — but clean,” Nepe said.
“Our defence was the best it’s been so far, and the teamwork was better.”
