“But all our hard work and commitment paid off; I’m still buzzing now,” Mativa said.
“We were glad to hear that we’d be playing Gisborne in the final because they’re a great team to play against — I loved their never-give-up attitude. They made us work hard by stopping our three-point shooters and they made their own outside shots.”
Matangiroa Flavell (13pts),Parys Beckham (11pts) and Elly Maxwell (10pts) combined to give Rotorua three scorers in double figures, while Maxwell, Waiwhakaata Emery-Raerino and Tiana Mativa-Horn — all genuine threats from the perimeter — were restricted to one three-pointer apiece. McMenamin and Beckham made three-point plays — McMenamin in the first period, Beckham in the fourth quarter — in what Gisborne coach Dwayne Tamatea regarded as a fast-paced game, especially throughout the tight first 20 minutes.
“We lacked a bit of experience at that level, in that type of game but I know our girls learned a lot and gained experience from it,” said Tamatea, whose Rising Suns came within four points of men’s CBL champions the Tauranga City Mariners in last year’s semifinal.
“All in all, it was a great season — maybe we played our final last weekend (the Gisborne women beat Tauranga 51-43 in last Saturday’s semifinal at Tauranga).
“Our coach — me — didn’t have his best game, either. As coaches, we expect our players to play their best game so we have to bring our best game too. For basketball coaches, that means being able to make good, quick decisions for the benefit of your team.”
Tamatea’s honesty and willingness to hold himself to account is laudable but his Gisborne team were well prepared and competed hard in all areas of the game. Both coaches remarked on McMenamin’s match-effort in the post, with Brown, Tiara Weir and Mangu fighting for rebounds at both ends and Mangu, in particular, playing a strong defensive game.
Rotorua’s game-day captain, Pam Purdie, a New Zealand under-18 guard in 2011, acknowledged a gutsy showing from the Gisborne team.
“They came out raring to go — they came out swinging and it started with a bang,” Purdie said.
“They were worthy opponents and have some talented young players — I hope to see them playing in the future.”
Rotorua Basketball president Darrell Pene noted the improvement in the home team’s defence and their greater poise under pressure due to better organisation, while CBL general manager Mark Rogers said it was great to get the women’s programme up and running this year.
“We’re looking to grow our women’s league in 2016,” he said.
The women’s final was well controlled by Cliff Horne, a referee of 53 years’ experience; Wiremu Bayliss, a stalwart of national age-group tournaments; and Tayla Ammunson, who first picked up a whistle at the age of 13 and officiated at seven CBL games in 2015.
