Southern Hoiho v Probuild ITM Mainland Pouākai
Edgar Centre, Dunedin
Tauihi: Southern Hoiho 99 def. Probuild ITM Mainland Pouākai 94
Lil Dart caught fire from deep with a league-high 36 points on 8 of 13 from three, steering Hoiho through a back-and-forth finish. Rebecca Pizzey 17 points and Claire Jacobs 17 points gave steady support. Pouākai rode Taylor Mikesell 25 and Morgan Yaeger 24, with Charlotte Whittaker adding 15 points and 10 rebounds, but Hoiho’s third-quarter surge held up in a high-tempo shootout. The win pushes the Hoiho into second place with a 7-4 record, but they will need to keep winning and get a wee bit of help to finish in the top two as their points percentartage (100) is the lowest of the four teams qualified for the Tauihi finals.
Rapid: Yellow i Glass Mainland Pouākai 31 def. Southern Hoiho 29
Hana Lacey-Rameka dominated throughout and owned the game with 16 points but it was young gun Ava Jones who burst to the rim for the late go-ahead bucket with just a second left on the clock. With enough time to get a shot off the Hoiho drew up a chance for Lil Dart (10p) to be the hero on her home court, but the final attempt went wayward, securing the victory for the visiting Pouākai who now sit alone in second spot on the ladder, with only the Whai still able to catch them.
Friday
BNZ Northern Kāhu vs The Northern Group Tauranga Whai, Eventfinda Stadium, Auckland
Rapid 6:30pm, Tauihi 7:30pm
Live on Sky Sport 3 • Tickets here
Why it matters: Four of five teams remain in the hunt for a top-two seed and the home court that comes with it, and seeding will be decided by points percentage across Tauihi and Rapid. The Kāhu can only play spoiler but would love nothing more than to get their first win of the season to keep the Whai from moving closer to home court advantage in the post season. The Whai are the only team in the league that control their own destiny, win out and it's home court all the way through the finals but they cannot afford a misstep at this stage of the season.
Tauihi What to Look for:
Projected Tauihi starters
EDITORS UPDATE: Laina Snyder Ruled Questionable with Injury
Kāhu: Tahlia Tupaea, Amy Jacobs, Haliegh Reinoehl, Abi Curtin, Lauren Mansfield
Whai: Jessica McDowell-White, Mikayla Cowling, Emme Shearer, Laina Snyder, Hannah Hank
Battle of the Boards: Can the Kāhu keep the potent physicality of the Whai under wraps? Or will Hank and Snyder get loose to wreck havoc on the paint and control the game?
Pace of Play: If the Whai are allowed to find freedom in transition it will be a long night for the Kāhu, but if the home team can limit live ball turnovers and find efficiency from the floor they may just have enough in the tank to crack their first victory of the season.
Watch list:
Projected Rapid starters
Kāhu: Azure Anderson, Emma Schroeder, Vitolia Tuilave, Mary Morton-Jones, Keeley Tini
Whai: Sophia Locandro, Sophie Rogers, Jade Kirisome, Graecyn Parahi, Laura Kuka
Battle down low: Locandro has been looking more comfortable of late but it will be up to Tuilave to slow her down. If Tuilave can limit the effectiveness of Locandro in the paint while also being mindful of the Whai centre's 3-point range the Kāhu could get back to their winning ways.
Young Guns: Schroeder v Rogers - two young guards who have been improving every week will have the ball in hand early and often, whichever player wins the arm wrestle to influence the game gives their squad the upper hand.
Sunday 21st November
ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens vs The Northern Group Tauranga Whai, Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua
Rapid 2:00pm, Tauihi 3:00pm
Live on Sky Sport 9 and Sky Sport NZ TikTok • Tickets here
Why it matters: Queens sit atop the points-percentage logjam with the highest mark (110), but if they can't grab the win here it won't matter as they will find themselves out of the top two convo. If the Queens get this win they are guaranteed a top two spot and will have the inside track for #1. While the visitors control their destiny and will lock down top seed with two victories on the weekend the big question will be can the Whai back up less than 48 hours after what will surely be a tough game in Auckland? It is all on the line in Porirua this Sunday!!
Tauihi What to Look for:
Projected Tauihi starters
Queens: Grace Hunter, Stella Beck, Jihyun Park, Penina Davidson, Lou Brown
Whai: Jessica McDowell-White, Mikayla Cowling, Emme Shearer, Laina Snyder, Hannah Hank
Frontcourt influence: Davidson & Brown v Hank & Snyder - Two of the comps premiere front lines match up with both team's hope for homecourt in the balance. Davidson and Hank are equally powerful but influence the game in different ways. Will it be Penina's power or Hanks turn and face game that gets it done? Hank & Snyder will both vie for rebound supremacy, but which will keep clear of foul trouble while still imposing physicality?
PG Supremecy: The Queens welcome back Kristy Wallace and will be better for her return, the star guard can call her own number when needed but also keeps all the mouths at the table fed with her playmaking. McDowell-White has been tremendous on both ends but selective with her input offensively choosing the facilitation route, but ignore her from deep at her own peril as timely shot making has been present every time the Whai need a tough bucket.
Watch list:
Queens: Penina Davidson comes off a monster 21 points and 21 rebounds last round, now just 13 points shy of 500 career. Lou Brown is on 300 career points after another double-double, and Stella Beck reached 500 career with a season-high 19.
Whai: Cowling is 19 points from 500 career. Snyder continues to clean the glass, and the Locandro and Rogers tandem just posted season-highs as we come to the business end of the season.
Projected Rapid starters
Queens: Keriana-Marie Hippolite, Pahlyss Hokianga, Paige Burrows, Josie Trousdell, Briarley Rogers
Whai: Sophia Locandro, Sophie Rogers, Jade Kirisome, Graecyn Parahi, Laura Kuka
Chase for 2nd: The Queens have the Rapid League title locked down but the Whai have second in their sights. To hit the target they have to win out, a tough task against a Queens team that has won eight straight.
Context check: With points percentage in play across both games each club’s Rapid result feeds directly into seeding. Every possession counts!
