Led by New Zealand under-17 international Deena Franklin, newcomers WGHS continue to punch above their weight with some good results in the early rounds of the premier girls' basketball championship.
Franklin, with a game-high 19 points, led her team to a 74-46 win over St Cuthbert's in a hard-fought game played with good sportsmanship, including a great battle between current New Zealand Under-16 reserves Bronwyn Kjestrup (WGHS) and St Cuthbert's Breeze Leonard.
Franklin was well supported by Bronwyn Kjestrup (14) and Natalia Legge (10). Savannah Tafau-Levy (11) led the scorers for St Cuthbert's.
Top-of-the-table MAGS beat newcomers Manurewa 83-47. Based on a strong defensive effort, MAGS won convincingly with strong performances from Luisa Roberts and Ashleigh Curtis. Rookie-of-the-week performance went to Shannon Leota, who had three steals and four points - her first of the season. Idaho Purcell (11 points) was adjudged player of the week after a well-rounded game which included seven rebounds and two steals.
In premier boys' action, AGS cruised to a 105-45 victory over promoted Sacred Heart. James Ashby (17 points), Josh Young (17), and Aart Fahrensohn (15) led AGS scoring. Nipuna Mohottige looked dangerous on offence and Blair Manners dominated the boards.
Sacred Heart has shown plenty of promise since their promotion, but have yet to close out their close games in recent weeks, losing to Dilworth by four and Avondale by six.
Against Auckland Grammar they lost Francis Mahoni late in the game to a suspected dislocated elbow. But they had top-scorer Alex Carew Bourke (21), while Michael Falesiu showed promise when driving into the key.
Basketball: Franklin and Kjestrup boost newcomers WGHS
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