The first week of the Whangarei Premier Grade final series showcased a thriller as Treewise Marist Old Girls came from behind to beat Northland Coastal Development Whangaruru.
The standout match this week between the third and fourth-ranked teams was a close thing with Marist winning by a single goal, 50-49 and attributing the victory to a methodical slog as they slowly recovered from a first-quarter deficit of six goals.
Kelly Middleton was a standout for Marist at goal keep, matching up well against her taller opponent and claiming clean intercepts playing a one-on-one game. Helen Francis at goal defence did a power of work to take the ball through the court, while centre Shannon French linked both ends of the court and wing attack Tracey Bradley played a good driving game. Nicky Taylor at goal shoot and Rose Baker at goal attack had a slow start but upped their game from the second quarter.
For Whangaruru, Sophy Tua at goal attack played a controlled game. Jaimee Lee Tito at centre found great space and speed and also put pressure on the feeders on the circle edge. Liahona Hebhen at goal defence performed strongly and Jackie Herewini at wing defence managed to be a nuisance.
In the first week of finals the top-ranked team played the number two, three played four and five played six, and seven played eight. Top-ranked Active Refrigeration Fideliter 1 earned themselves a bye next week and a guaranteed spot in the finals with a consistent and strong performance and a win over Semco Group Onerahi 1 52-39.
For Fideliter 1, the defenders worked well to shut down the experienced Onerahi 1 shooters. It was a solid performance from centre Lara Tipene on defence and attack. The starting shooters of Jess McClintock Maihi and Cassey Rudolph Cooper got Fideliter 1 out to a good start.
Except for a slow start, Onerahi 1 were in the hunt for the rest of the game, only losing the remaining quarters by either one or two goals, but they were unable to make up the initial nine-goal deficit. Althena Birch and Judy Campbell in the shooting circle combined well but the midcourt combination of Campbell, Cherith Schragg and Jane Southee lacked their normal speed, cohesion and team work. Sue Ann David at goal defence worked hard as did Marcie Cooke at wing defence.
Manwanui 1 had a closer game against Semco Group Onerahi 2 only winning 42-36, however Onerahi 2 were one goal up at halftime and the game was level at three-quarter time. For Manawanui, the defensive unit of Melanie Leef and Ravena Otene was effective with Leef producing well-executed intercepts. Renee Wilson and Ayla Aekins Reilly at wing defence and Sian Telfer also played a big part in the win over Onerahi 2.
For Onerahi 2 it was an improved team game. Hayley Taylor and Sarah Nicholas in defence got good turnover ball and rebounded well. Kim Leemeyer at wing defence was strong on defence and backed up well on attack. Sisters Jess Lowe and Mary Lowe in the midcourt gave 110 per cent, providing good options on attack. Dana Antunovich at goal shoot had an excellent game and she moved strongly in the circle and converted her shots. Donna Stratford at goal attack combined well with Antunovich.
Wahine Toa 1 had a comprehensive win over the younger WGHS 1 team 61-30. For Wahine Toa 1 Jaelyn Walker at goal keep made it hard for the attacks to get ball into their shooters. Raina Doar at wing defence combined well with Trudy Williams at centre. And the team was able to demonstrate several shooting combinations the most effective of which was that between Maria Dick and Kahukura Hau Peita.
The WGHS team are still plagued by injury and continue to have to play players up from WGHS 2. Olivia Lobb, playing up from team 2 at goal attack and then wing attack, made herself available to the feeders. Shooter Manaaki Peri at times shot from distance. In the absence of the normal defence unit, Jess Hita and Kanewa Harrison played a persistent game in defence but found it hard up against the experience of the Wahine Toa shooting combinations. In midcourt Sharelle Toka and Rihi Love did good work on attack.