Cowles Stadium, Christchurch • Tauihi 3.00pm • Live on Sky Sport 3 and Sky Sport NZ Tik Tok, ESPN 3 and FIBA YouTube • Tickets here
The league’s highest-octane offence versus the form team that’s already beaten every opponent in the top four. Pouākai lit up Cowles early in the season but Hoiho have taken the last two meetings - both in Dunedin - and arrive with one of the most balanced starting fives in Tauihi. Can the hosts ride their three-point volume and home crowd into a second straight grand final, or will the Hoiho inside punch and ball movement see them march on after another statement road win?
Pouākai
PG: Morgan Yaeger
W: Taylor Mikesell
W: Mckenna Dale
F: Marena Whittle
C: Charlotte Whittaker
(bench)
Bree Hall
Abigail Fogg (if available)
Esra McGoldrick (if available)
Emma Rogers
Hoiho
PG: Paige Bradley
G: Claire Jacobs
W: Taylah Simmons
F: Rebecca Pizzey
C: Jessie Edwards
(bench)
Lil Dart
Zoe Richards
Samara Gallaher
Eva Langton
Stats Leaders
| Stat | Pouākai | Hoiho |
|---|---|---|
| Points | Whittle – 20.1 | Jacobs – 15.7 |
| Rebounds | Whittle – 7.9 | Pizzey – 7.6 |
| Assists | Dale – 4.4 | Bradley – 7.4 |
| Steals | Hall – 15 | Jacobs – 23 |
| Blocks | McGoldrick – 17 | Edwards – 18 |
| 3PFG% | Whittle – 43% | Dart – 51% |
Pouākai average 88.3 points and 10.6 made threes per game on 43% shooting, while leading the glass by +6.4 boards a night. Hoiho sit at 84.8 points per game but with slightly better efficiency from both two and three, plus a healthy +1.0 rebounding margin and a league-best 21.8 assists per game.
Pouākai 121, Hoiho 83 (Christchurch, 26 Sept)
The season-opener was a Pouākai avalanche. Whittle dropped 30 and Dale owned the glass with 10 boards as the hosts ran in transition and rained from deep. Jacobs still found 27 for Hoiho, but the visitors couldn’t slow Pouākai’s pace or protect the arc as the margin blew out on a record setting night.
Hoiho 102, Pouākai 66 (Dunedin, 31 Oct)
Hoiho hit back hard at home in an unforeseen reversal of fortune. Their defence tightened, holding the Pouākai to 66 while McGoldrick’s 16 were the only real bright spot for the visitors. Edwards and Pizzey dominated the interior, Hoiho won the paint battle and marched to the free-throw line effectively ending the game by three-quarter time.
Hoiho 99, Pouākai 94 (Dunedin, 20 Nov)
The most recent meeting was a shoot-out whose momentum shifted down the stretch. Mikesell’s 25 pushed the Pouākai into the lead as Whittaker battled on the boards, but Dart’s hot shooting off the bench got the party started and when her league hight scoring night combined with another big Edwards/Pizzey effort inside, the game tilted the Hoiho’s way down the stretch. Late execution and half-court composure favoured the home side as they locked down the win late.
Aggregate: Hoiho 2–1, combined margin +3 in Hoiho’s favour.
Point guards: Morgan Yaeger vs Paige Bradley
Yaeger is the Pouākai’s tempo-setter- pushing in transition, spacing to the arc and keeping the ball moving into drive-kick threes. If she can flatten out Hoiho’s pick-and-roll coverage and limit live-ball turnovers, Pouākai’s offence tends to hum.
Bradley is the league’s assist queen at 7.4 per game, constantly probing and hitting shooters on time but it could be her full court lasers in transition that defenses fear most. When she controls pace and keeps the Hoiho out of scramble mode, their half-court spacing looks elite and they generate high-value looks at the rim or from the corners.
Wings and scoring punch: Whittle & Mikesell vs Jacobs & Simmons
Whittle is a three-level scorer (and leading scorer in the league) who has hurt Hoiho from everywhere – trail threes, post-ups on smaller wings, and on the offensive glass. Mikesell stretches the floor with deep range and quick-trigger threes; if she gets loose off flares and pin-downs, the Hoiho defence will be under constant stress.
Jacobs and Simmons give Hoiho a different look: Jacobs as the downhill guard who lives on the line and can punish switches while always being dangerous from deep, Simmons as the strong slasher who cuts hard off the ball and guards multiple spots while never straying far from the fray. Their ability to guard Whittle without sending too much extra help will be critical.
Frontcourt battle: Pouākai by committee vs Edwards & Pizzey
Pouākai have featured a deep frontcourt this season, but that depth was tested late in the season by unavailability. McGoldrick, Whittaker and Fogg all bring size and different skill-sets – pick-and-pop, rim protection, offensive rebounding but 2 of the 3 (Fogg and McGoldrick) haven't had their availability confirmed. If what is available from that trio can hold their own on the glass while Whittle and Dale crash from the wings, the hosts can re-create the +6.4 rebounding edge they’ve enjoyed across the season.
For the Hoiho, Edwards and Pizzey are a bruising tandem – both finish efficiently inside, both rebound in traffic, and Pizzey’s ability to step to the three-point line drags bigs away from the rim. Edwards will be key on the O-Boards and will need to patrol the paint while staying out of foul trouble. If they win the paint, control second-chance points and keep out of foul trouble, Pouākai’s three-point barrage may not be enough. With Zoe Richards off the bench and Simmons sliding down when required, the Hoiho have enough depth and talent to win the matchup on any given day, but can they do it on the road?
Both teams want this game fast, high-possession and three-heavy, feeding off turnovers and long rebounds in front of a noisy Cowles crowd. While they are happy to run the real edge comes when they grind teams down with physical half-court offence, high-low actions and multiple passes into a good shot. If it looks like a free-flowing shoot-out we could see two teams hit triple digits. If it becomes a battle of discipline, composure and interior dominance, the question is which team will excel in the mud while still finding efficiency?
