Students excel in celebration of speed, daring and stamina

The true rugged nature of ladies’ club basketball roared forth on Monday.

Gisborne Girls’ High School won their clash with In Living Colour 48-40 in Game 3 of Week 2 — a celebration of speed, daring and stamina.

Girls’ High’s first-year coach Kristi Brown, who had been with this group as manager since 2019, said: “That game was very physical, very competitive. Most of our team are only 13 to 15  (years old). That’s the best I’ve seen them play in five years.”

Sensational guard Riley Lewis (19pts) hit a three-point shot to open the scoring and In Living Colour’s Dyani Johnson (12pts) got them on line with two quick hoops.

Girls’ High trailed a powerful ILC crew 8-15 at the end of the first period. With an amazing lay-up, the older team’s Amoe Wharehinga (8pts) beat the halftime buzzer for 26-26 and her teammate Amoe Tarsau made the defensive play of the game in the third quarter. With deft footwork and timing, she set herself in front of the ring and stole the ball from Areeza Skudder-Weir.

Girls’ High snuck into the fourth period 41-39 in front and the closeness of the scores speaks to the fire on the floor. But the veterans could score only one point in the last quarter, and Natalie Tarei hit two crucial jump shots to maintain the separation.

Shinae Terekia and her Horouta Waka crew had a huge win in Game 2.

Horouta Te Waka held off mighty Ngāti Porou 35-29, despite the hair-raising rally from an outfit who went unbeaten last year.

Ngāti Porou have lost none of their muscle, and anyone who runs with them becomes tougher. Proof of that was seen as Jayda Waititi-Leach hauled in a pass from captain Bronya McMenamin, spun on the spot into defender Alyse Stewart and hit a jump shot falling backwards for 3-2.

Horouta were tenacious. Kelly Wood did a superb job of holding Ngāti Porou’s Ata Mangu on the right baseline, and veteran Ngarita Ehau-Taumanu hit a sweet shot to the left of the hoop for 12-8.

Wise heads such as Ehau-Taumanu, Terekia and Courtney Stubbins were crucial to Horouta’s fortunes and on Monday, they never let up.

Ehau-Taumanu flew in to score for 18-11 and the ball movement which gave Stubbins an open look at goal from the right corner for 22-11 was sensational.

Horouta looked comfortable at three-quartertime — 28-16 up — and Stubbins gave a super no-look pass to the cutting Jasmine Sparks for 32-16. O’Shae Rangihaeata hit a three-pointer for 35-16 and Horouta looked to have put the game to bed . . . but from there Ngati Porou scored the last 13 points of the game.

Mangu and McMenamin, with three-point shots, brought the defending champions within six points of Te Waka.

Terekia said: “It was a solid performance from our team. We have some new faces that bring a lot of intensity. I feel we’ve just scratched the surface. Ngāti Porou pushed us in the last quarter but it was our lead-up to three-quartertime that sealed our win.”

The Dreamers have many weapons.

And while they missed the experience of Natalie and Maiangi Mackey on the floor — not to mention the defensive presence of Jett Pohatu — a youthful cast got the job done against the 23K-Ballerz in Game 1.

The Dreamers beat 23K-Ballerz 67-30.

Piper Donaldson (18pts), Te Atahuia Matahiki (13pts) and Ishtar Mackey-Huriwai (9pts) did more than lead the offence; they took it from strength to strength.

The referees were razor sharp in Game 1.

Only 12 seconds in, trail official Amoe Tarsau picked Mackey-Huriwai up for a double dribble.

23Ks’ Jess Crawford opened the scoring with a long jump shot while bustling teammate Ayngel Henry was equally as effective on a dribble-drive and assist to Joelle Walker for 6-12 in the second quarter.

That basket to Walker was a difficult shot to make from underneath the hoop.

23K and the Dreamers fired three-pointers from start to finish, Mackey-Huriwai having the last word on that for 64-30.

Uawa 2.0 have now tasted victory and defeat.

They won the late game on Monday 56-26.

Nadia Whaitiri-White (16pts) and captain Tania Adamson (11pts) made double figures for Uawa v Non-ballers, who look destined to become one of the most popular teams in the league.

The reaction of the YMCA crowd to both teams — from Adamson’s incredible hustle and competitiveness at both ends of the floor to the double-pump and then 30-foot three-point shot by Non-ballers’ Tessa Campbell with 8 seconds left to play — was amazing.

Uawa’s Tapuhi Broughton-Tuapawa gave an indication of the tough defence her Tolaga Bay-based club intends to play with the attention she paid to Lee Taitapanui in the fourth period. Taitapanui had to fight to be a passer’s target.

Week 2 results —

23K-Ballerz 30 (Levy Jones 10, Jess Crawford 6)  Dreamers 67 (Piper Donaldson 18, Te Atahuia Matahiki 13, Ishtar Mackey-Huriwai 8 - Q1 Dreamers 12-4, HT 22-10, Q3 36-18).

Horouta 35 (O’Shae Rangihaeata 13, Ngarita Ehau-Taumanu 9) Ngāti Porou 29 (Bronya McMenamin 11, Ata Mangu 7, Jayda Waititi-Leach 7 - Q1 6-6, HT Horouta 16-11, Q3 28-16).

Gisborne Girls’ High School 48 (Riley Lewis 19, Trieste Wilson 6, Natalie Tarei 5) In Living Colour 40 (Dyani Johnson 12, Amoe Wharehinga 8, Arie Aston 8 - Q1 In Living Colour 15-8, HT 26-26, Q3 GGHS 41-39).

Non-ballers 26 (Tessa Campbell 6, Lischa-Rae Smith 5) Uawa 2.0 56 (Nadia Whaitiri-White 16, Tania Adamson 11, Jorjah Tuapawa 9 - Q1 Uawa 11-4, HT 28-10, Q3 42-16).