photo credit PhotoWellington/Masanori Udagawa
In Sky Broadband Rapid League Round 2 action the Haswell Timber Mainland Pouākai won the southern derby, BNZ Northern Kāhu prevailed in the northern clash and followed that with a record win against Tokomanawa Queens. Catch up on the details for those games and everything else you need to know as Mike Lacey takes you through the Rapid Wrap.
The Northern Group Tauranga Whai 21 BNZ Northern Kāhu 33
At the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre in Round 1 it was the youthful promise of teenage sisters Emma and Sophie Rogers that stood out as The Northern Group Tauranga Whai opened the season with a victory.
In Round 2 it was an opposition teenager that made her mark as BNZ Northern Kāhu inflicted a 33-21 defeat on the Whai.
17 year-old Bailey Flavell scored 9 points and with Australian centre Steph Bairstow also impressing (14 points and 5 rebounds) the Kāhu chalked up their first win of the season.
It was the Whai that started stronger as captain Eva Langton (6 points) and McKenna Dale knocked down threes on their opening two possessions.
However the Kāhu would then make the next 10 points and although Langton, for the second time, and Anika Hyland landed shots from beyond the arc the Whai had a 17-13 lead at half-time.
Flavell and Bairstow combined for all of Kāhu’s third quarter points and when debutant Tannika Leger-Walker drained a triple early in the fourth the visitors lead was in double figures and a valuable road win assured.
Southern Hoiho 25 Haswell Timber Mainland Pouākai 33
Rebounding in style from a disappointing opening round loss Haswell Timber Mainland Pouākai pulled away from the Southern Hoiho in the final period to record a 33-25 victory in Dunedin on Saturday night.
At the outset triples from Tyler Mitchell and Chelsea D’Angelo propelled Hoiho into a 10-7 quarter time lead.
However, Pouākai having only managed 14 points in their loss in Tauranga last week passed that figure in the first half in this one. Sharne Robati led all scorers with 8 points at the interval with the Mainlanders within one-point of the hosts (16-15) at the interval.
Samara Gallaher increased the Hoiho advantage after the resumption but a Lauren Tewhata three, from the last play of the third, edged Pouākai ahead 23-22.
The final period was all Pouākai, or more accurately all Tara Manumaleuga. The New Zealand Select guard scored 7 of her 10 points in the period and with Robati (11 points) also increasing her tally to double figures the visitors outscored Hoiho 10-3 in the closing four minutes to claim the win.
ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens 20 BNZ Northern Kāhu 43
The BNZ Northern Kāhu posted a second road win of the round as they romped to a 43-20 victory against ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens at Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua on Sunday. Paced by 15 points from Azure Anderson and 13 from Steph Bairstow the Kāhu recorded the largest victory (23 points) in women’s Rapid history.
The Kāhu got off to a flyer to lead 15-3 at quarter time and although Jacinta Beckley (10 points), Grace Hunter and Alana Paewai produced three-point plays in the second period the hosts still trailed 23-14 at half-time.
Anderson quickly pushed the Kāhu into a double figure lead and following scores from Bairstow and Bailey Flavell (8 points) the margin was almost twenty at the three-quarter break (35-17).
From there it was all Kāhu as they chalked up the highest score in Rapid’24.
Rapid Express
With 43 points against the Queens, Northern Kāhu rattled up the highest score of the season to date and only one point shy of the Tauihi Rapid League record of 44 points scored by Pouākai in 2023.
Rapid Fire
Steph Bairstow with scores of 10, 14 and 13 in the Kāhu’s opening three games is the first player to score in double figures in three successive Rapid League games.
Rapid Leading Scorers
37 Steph Bairstow (Kāhu)
24 Tyler Mitchell (Hoiho)
23 Chelsea D’Angelo (Hoiho)
22 Jacinta Beckley (Queens)
Rapid Leading Rebounders
17 Aliyah Dunn (Hoiho)
14 Steph Bairstow (Kāhu)
13 Eliana Tuaiti (Kāhu)
13 Chelsea D’Angelo (Hoiho)
Sky Broadband Rapid League Standings after Round 2
2-1 Southern Hoiho, Northern Kāhu
1-1 Tauranga Whai, Mainland Pouākai
0-2 Tokomanawa Queens
