Four North Island teams put their markers in the sand as title prospects after the second day’s play of the Netball NZ Secondary School Champs in Auckland on Wednesday.
One of the most popular events on the domestic calendar, the secondary school champs are a critical step in Netball New Zealand’s high-performance pathway, providing a breeding ground for future representatives.
Following the completion of pool play on Wednesday, the top eight teams were confirmed, the four winners of the Championship 2nd Pool Play stage getting the perfect start in the afternoon’s launch to the business end of the competition.
The eight top teams still have an opportunity to go all the way but Auckland teams Avondale College, Saint Kentigern College and Howick College along with St Mary’s College, Wellington, gained a slight advantage with their first-up wins.
Trailing by three at the last turn, St Mary’s finished with a powerful 11-5 last quarter surge to seal the deal 38-35. NZ U21 squad members Phoenix Schwalger, playing in the relatively unfamiliar goal attack position missed just the one shot (13/14) and at the other end, goalkeeper Caitlin Lafeale had a fine individual outing to pocket five clean intercepts.
Mt Albert Grammar’s goal shoot Summer Temu was a key figure for her side when returning 29 goals from 32 attempts.
Winning the possession battle and enjoying 11 more shots at goal, Howick College ran out 28-21 winners over defending champions Hamilton Girls’ High School.
Hamilton Girls’ were more accurate on the shot but lacked enough ball to make a serious challenge. Howick also had a strong presence at the defence end, where in-circle defenders Avah Sila and NZ U21 squad member Liliviwa Tokaduadua hauled in three intercepts apiece.
In a tense North vs South clash, Avondale College (Auckland) and Columba College (Dunedin) could not be separated through the first three-quarters of the match after heading into the first three breaks on levels terms. Avondale College broke the impasse with a strong 13-6 final quarter to pocket a hard-fought 41-34 win.
Pin-point accuracy from goal shoot Priscilla Rasmussen, who nailed 34 goals from 38 attempts, and four intercepts from goal defence Henare-Vaihu helped Avondale retain their unbeaten record after two days of the tournament.
Saint Kentigern College (Auckland) also kept their unbeaten record intact after posting a handsome 42-26 win over St Margaret’s College (Christchurch).
Goal shoot Sophia Lafaiali’l was a standout for Saint Kentigern with a personal haul of 32 goals from 33 attempts. St Margaret’s also impressed with their shooting percentages but struggled to match their opponents’ amount of possession.
The 16 competing teams qualified for the Secondary School Champs through the respective Upper North Island, Lower North Island and South Island Secondary School events. During the four-day event, being played at The Trusts Arena, teams were initially grouped into four pools of four with all matches played over 40 minutes.
The Championship 2nd Pool Play stage will continue throughout Thursday. Final play-off matches will take place on Friday with the Grand Final being played at 1.40pm.