photo credit: Katrina Parish
BNZ Northern Kāhu
If you THINK the Kāhu will be looking forward to R4 of Tauihi THEN there will be no better motivation than a return clash with the Pouākai this Friday night. The previously unbeaten 2023 champs were humbled by the Pouākai who led by as much as 19pts before grabbing the win, and doing so without Canadian Cassandra Brown. It was the first ever time the Pouākai had beaten the Kāhu, and it was the first loss (after 10 straight wins) for the Kāhu since August 12 last year. Now we get to see how the Kāhu respond.
The Northern Group Tauranga Whai
If you THINK the Whai will be happy to play at home in R4 after suffering two losses on the road in R3 THEN think again because while the Whai are hosting the Queens this Saturday night, the game will be played in Taupo. The banged-up Whai might need a quieter week at training to freshen before putting some more kilometres on the clock and travelling again.
ProBuild ITM Mainland Pouākai
If you THINK the Pouākai might have been a little concerned after a heavy R1 loss to the Whai THEN the response since has been exceptional. First, a win down in Dunedin after being 17pts down, and then a victory to savour over the Kāhu that oozed freedom, creativity and reward. It was the first time they have beaten the competition's heavyweights. Even without forward/centre Cassandra Brown (back injury), Paul Flynn's team monstered the opposition on the boards with a 40-29 win, including 15 offensive rebounds, in a sign of being the hungrier team.
Southern Hoiho
If you THINK the Hoiho were looking to shake things up a bit after a 0-3 start to the season THEN it was the defensive end where coach Todd Marshall wanted to see improvement. And boy did he get it as his team secured a great win against the Whai, defensively led by Natalie Chou who held league-leading scorer Ashely Joens to just 8 points on 2/10 shooting. Given Joens went into the game averaging 28.7 points per game, it was a defensive masterclass from Chou.
ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens
If you THINK the Queens have caught the entertainment bug THEN they took it to a new level last Friday night against the Whai where a new record Tauihi crowd was treated to a dramatic finish in a 92-90 thriller. The Queens are definitely living up to the #RatedE tag and the fans are coming back for more. It was an edge-of-your-seat game for the fans with WNBA star Jordan Horston taking centre-stage.
