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DAY 4
Thursday started with a special delivery of brand new warm up tees and track suits that arrived!! The girls were looking fresh and excited and to top it off, a friend of the school - photographer
Thursday’s match-ups:
11:30am vs Glendowie – streamed here
4:30pm vs Tamaki College
DAY 3
Wednesday morning started early at 9:00am with a close contest against Sancta Maria College. The girls started slowly, trailing 13–9 at the end of the first quarter. They responded strongly in the second, with some excellent long feeds from Tana and Ngahine helping to bring the deficit back to just three points at halftime. It was an extremely even contest, with both teams pushing hard for the win and top spot in the pool. Our girls showed great composure and determination, battling it out right to the final whistle to secure a 42–38 victory.The girls were delighted to finish top of their pool, but there was little time to celebrate as they quickly refocused on the next challenge ahead.
In the team’s first televised game of the tournament, our girls certainly put on a show! A strong defensive effort created opportunities for quick ball movement through the court, which was finished off with some silky shooting from captains Saint Latavia and Te Wai Manukau. Papakura got off to a flying start, taking an early lead and finishing the first quarter up 12-7. From there, the girls continued to build their lead and never really looked back.
With substitutions allowing all of the girls to play significant minutes, our Year 9 and 10 players Zahzah Purea-Bill and Khorus Teariki both put in strong performances, showing exactly why they were selected and proving that they belong on this stage. At the final whistle, our girls had made a statement, securing an emphatic 51–26 victory over Onehunga High School Prems.
With pool play complete, our ladies now head into the Top 8 for C Grade, with an even bigger goal in sight — finishing in the top five to earn promotion to B Grade next year. The next two days will be another big test, but the girls have shown they are ready for the challenge.
Thursday’s match-ups:
11:30am vs Glendowie – streamed here
4:30pm vs Tamaki College
DAY 1 & 2
UNISS got underway with a cold, wet and windy start as the girls arrived in Hamilton on Monday morning. Their first-round match was against top-seeded Otumoetai, and unfortunately the girls went down in their opening game. Knowing they couldn’t afford another loss if they wanted any chance of competing for a place in the Top 16, the girls regrouped and, with a little bit of a talking-to from the coaches, came back ready to fight.
They responded exactly as we needed them to — securing a hard-fought one-point victory over Kaitaia, before backing it up with a more convincing 41–24 win over Haunui on Tuesday.
The two wins were enough to see the girls finish second in their pool and advance to the Top 16 bracket for their grade.
First up in the Top 16 was Te Puke, who had finished top of their original pool. Our girls stepped up to the challenge and produced another strong performance, securing a well-earned 36–27 victory and booking their place in the next round. After the disappointment of Monday morning, the girls have shown great resilience, responded to the challenge and continued to build momentum throughout the tournament.
There’s no time to slow down, with two more big games on Wednesday.
9:00am vs Sancta Maria College
1:00pm vs Onehunga High School – televised match
The girls will be looking to keep their momentum going as they continue their push through the Top 16.
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