The second game of the 2026 G.J. Gardner Homes Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa season takes us to Christchurch, where the Procure X Mainland Pouākai host the Southern Hoiho at Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre in Christchurch.
For night two of Tauihi we get a rematch loaded with recent history.
The Pouākai reached last year’s Grand Final after defeating the Hoiho 99-92 in the semi-final, while the regular-season series between the two sides produced three very different games, including a 121-point explosion from Pouākai on opening night and a 102-66 Hoiho response weeks later.
Both teams return key cogs from 2025, but both have also added significant pieces who will look to impact gameplans immediately.
Pouākai have brought in Mikayla Pivec, Sarah Mortensen and Mikayla Vaughn around returning leaders McKenna Dale and Morgan Yaeger.
The Hoiho counter with veteran additions Julie Wojta and Marie Bertholdt alongside Paige Bradley, Lil Dart and Rebecca Pizzey.
Plenty of continuity, plenty of new talent, and an immediate chance for two 2025 finals teams to establish themselves in the 2026 campaign.
Mainland Pouākai vs Southern Hoiho
When: Saturday 26 September
Where: Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre, Christchurch
Rapid League: 6:30pm
Tauihi: 7:30pm
Watch Live: Sky Sport 5 in New Zealand, ESPN+ in the United States and FIBA YouTube everywhere else internationally
Commentary: Nathan Limm and Tom Ingham
Box Score Here
Buy Tickets Here]
Pouākai have named Morgan Yaeger, Mikayla Pivec, McKenna Dale, Sarah Mortensen and Mikayla Vaughn as their starting five.
Mortensen is listed as questionable with a back injury, while the other four starters are available.
Maddy Timms, Ava Jones, Emilia Ainley, Sari Mowbray, Rebekah Frisby-Smith and Bella Kraenzlin are available through the Rapid League group.
Esra McGoldrick remains out as looks to get up to speed for a return to play, Eva Jeffries is out with an ankle injury and Maiyah Lavea-Martin is unavailable with concussion.
The Hoiho will look to start Paige Bradley, Rebecca Pizzey, Julie Wojta, Marie Bertholdt and Lil Dart.
Their seven-player Rapid group is Zoe Richards, Tia Pavihi, Alexa Duff, Millie Simpson, Abby Harris, Kiana Brown and Aria Brown.
Sammy Gallaher is unavailable with a calf injury.
The Mainland Pouākai finished the 2025 regular season 7-5 in the regular season before advancing to the Grand Final where they came up short against the Tauranga Whai.
They played with pace and aggression as Head Coach Alex Stojkovic inserted his preferred style of the play.
The Mainlanders thrived as they led Tauihi in multiple categories, including scoring at 87.4 points per game, rebounding margin at +5.4, and blocks with 4.6 swats every time out. They also made 10.8 three-pointers per game, one of the biggest sources of their offensive firepower.
But to find that level of production they will need to find a way to make up for the loss of significant production.
Marena Whittle and Taylor Mikesell have moved on after combining for more than 33 points per game, while Esra McGoldrick will not be available on opening night.
What remains is a proven returning core.
Dale averaged 12.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists, while Yaeger contributed 12.3 points and 3.8 assists.
Now Pivec enters as one of the most intriguing new players in the league.
The former WNBA draftee was named to the 2026 All-NBL1 West First Team after averaging 17.9 points, 11.0 rebounds and 7.9 assists for Mandurah Magic.
The Hoiho finished 2025 at 7-5 to finish 3rd before reaching the semi-finals where they fell to the Pouākai
They were one of Tauihi’s most efficient offensive teams, averaging 85.4 points per game, shooting a league-best 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from three.
They also led the competition with 21.8 assists per game, thanks in large part to Paige Bradley, and ranked second in blocked shots at 4.4 per game.
Some major scoring and size has departed, with Claire Jacobs, Taylah Simmons and Jessie Edwards no longer on the roster.
But the returning backcourt looks to be a position of strength.
Dart averaged 14.9 points per game last season and shot an exceptional 49 percent from three, while Pizzey averaged 13.5 points and 7.7 rebounds on 56 percent shooting. Bradley added 10.5 points and was one of the competition’s premier distributors.
Pizzey has since backed up that Tauihi season by averaging 13 points and 10.7 rebounds for Eltham and being named the 2026 NBL1 South Defensive Player of the Year.
The Pouākai opened the 2025 season with the highest-scoring performance by any Tauihi team all year.
They poured in a league record 121 points, making 41 field goals and hitting 17 three-pointers in a dominant offensive display. Marena Whittle led the way with 30pts while McKenna Dale chipped in with a 22pt 10rb 5ast double-double. Esra Mcgoldrick had 20pts off the bench as 5 players scored 15 pts or more.
For the Hoiho, Claire Jacobs led the way with 27pts while Lil Dart brought in 18pts off the bench in a game that was lost during the middle quarters of action.
The response could hardly have been more emphatic.
Hoiho flipped the matchup in Dunedin, holding Pouākai to 66 points while reaching triple figures themselves. Five Southern players reached double figures as Paige Bradley dropped 9 assists. The defense did the jobe early as the home team led by 19 at half and held the visitors to 32% shooting while forcing them into 16 turnovers
Hoiho then made it two consecutive victories over Pouākai in another high-scoring encounter, this one a much closer variety.
Lil Dart led the way with 8 three's for the Hoiho, eventually scorign 32 points as Bec Pizzey provided great support with 17pts and 7rbs.
That game also produced Hoiho’s season-high 33 assists, illustrating just how dangerous their offence became when the ball moved freely.
Their most recent meeting came in last year’s semi-final, when Pouākai beat Hoiho 99-92 in Christchurch to book the first Grand Final appearance in franchise history.
The Pouākai built their win around perimeter shooting and work on the glass, hitting 14 threes at 48 percent and winning the rebounding battle 45-38. Marena Whittle led the way with 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Morgan Yaeger and McKenna Dale were among the other key contributors. Hoiho stayed in the contest through 22 points from Taylah Simmons, 21 from Claire Jacobs and 18 from Lil Dart, cutting a double-digit deficit to five late in the fourth before Pouākai steadied themselves to close it out.
Several of the key names from that game return in 2026, including Morgan Yaeger and McKenna Dale for Pouākai, and Lil Dart, Bec Pizzey and Paige Bradley for Hoiho, giving Saturday’s opener a genuine continuation of last season’s playoff rivalry.
No Tauihi team rebounded better than Pouākai last season.
They averaged 47.2 rebounds per game and finished with a +5.4 rebounding margin, comfortably the best mark in the competition.
Even after losing Whittle Abi Fogg and Charlotte Whittaker, there is plenty of size.
Dale remains one of the competition’s best rebounding forwards, Vaughn stands at 192cm, and if Mortensen is cleared to play she provides another physical presence.
But key to any rebounding conversation is Pivec.
Her 11.0 rebounds per game in NBL1 West are remarkable for a 178cm guard and point to the kind of all-around activity Pouākai will expect from her.
The Hoiho were essentially even on the glass last season at +0.4 per game.
If the Mainlanders can recreate their 2025 rebounding advantage, they can generate the extra possessions that fuel their perimeter attack.
The Hoiho led Tauihi in assists last season.
Bradley remains the key organiser and has built a reputation as one of the league’s premier distributors. She has 267 career Tauihi assists for Hoiho and recorded a franchise-best 14 assists against Pouākai last season.
Dart provides shooting around her, Pizzey can finish inside and stretch the floor, while Wojta and Bertholdt bring high-level professional experience.
Wojta arrives after 14 seasons in Europe, most recently averaging 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds for French champions Basket Landes. She was also the 18th selection in the 2012 WNBA Draft.
Bertholdt has spent nine seasons playing professionally in Germany and arrives after winning the German Cup with ALBA Berlin in 2026.
The Southerners may have lost some scoring, but they have not lost experience.
There may be a slightly different look but Morgan Yaeger is the constant.
She averaged 12.3 points and 3.8 assists last season and enters 2026 after an NBL1 Central campaign in which she averaged 19.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
Beside her is Pivec, whose ability to rebound, create and score gives Pouākai a second major initiator.
That may help compensate for the absence of McGoldrick and the departure of Mikesell and Whittle.
The key question is how quickly the new pieces understand where shots and touches are coming from.
Two experienced guards who can dictate a game without necessarily dominating the scoring column.
Pivec’s NBL1 numbers show how broad her influence can be. She averaged 17.9 points, 11 rebounds and 7.9 assists, making her a threat to initiate offence, attack the glass and push immediately in transition.
Bradley is already established in Tauihi.
She remains Hoiho’s offensive organiser and has led Knox Raiders to back-to-back NBL1 National Championships in 2025 and 2026.
The team that gets the cleaner organisation from its lead guards should generate plenty of good looks.
This matchup could have a major influence on the possession battle.
Dale averaged 12.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season and led Pouākai in both assists and blocks among their returning players.
Pizzey was one of Tauihi’s most efficient interior scorers, averaging 13.5 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field.
Both can influence the game without having plays called specifically for them. Dale’s versatility against Pizzey’s size and efficiency makes this one of the night’s most important battles.
There is plenty of scoring potential here.
Yaeger returns after averaging 12.3 points for Pouākai last season and enters in excellent form from NBL1.
Dart was Hoiho’s second-leading scorer in 2025 at 14.9 points per game and shot 49 percent from three.
She also produced a Hoiho-record 36 points against Pouākai last season.
Neither defence will want either player finding rhythm from the perimeter.
| Category | Pouākai | Hoiho |
|---|---|---|
| Leading scorer | McKenna Dale, 12.4 ppg | Lil Dart, 14.9 ppg |
| Rebounding | McKenna Dale, 7.3 rpg | Bec Pizzey, 7.7 rpg |
| Assists | McKenna Dale, 4.1 apg | Paige Bradley, 7.7 apg |
| Field goal percentage | McKenna Dale, 40% | Bec Pizzey, 56% |
| Three-point percentage | Esra McGoldrick, 40%* | Lil Dart, 49% |
| Blocks | McKenna Dale, 1.2 bpg | Bec Pizzey / returning frontcourt group |
*McGoldrick is unavailable for this game.
Pouākai’s leading returning scorers are Dale and Yaeger at 12.4 and 12.3 points respectively. Hoiho return three double-figure scorers in Dart, Pizzey and Bradley.
| Category | Pouākai | Hoiho |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 8-6, lost in final | 7-6, lost in semi |
| Points per game | 87.4, 1st | 85.4, 2nd |
| Points allowed | 84.2, 4th | 83.7, 3rd |
| Scoring margin | +3.2, 3rd | +1.7, 4th |
| Field-goal percentage | 42%, 3rd | 44%, 1st |
| Defensive FG% | 43%, 3rd | 43%, 4th |
| Three-point percentage | 34%, 2nd | 35%, 1st |
| Free-throw percentage | 74%, 3rd | 77%, 2nd |
| Rebounding margin | +5.4, 1st | +0.4, 3rd |
| Assists | 20.2, 3rd | 21.8, 1st |
| Turnovers | 14.8 per game | 13.6 per game |
| Assist/turnover ratio | 1.4, 4th | 1.6, 2nd |
| Steals | 8.3, 3rd | 7.5, 5th |
| Blocks | 4.6, 1st | 4.4, 2nd |
The Pouākai were the league’s best rebounding and highest-scoring team.
Hoiho were the most accurate shooting team and the best passing team.
Both have changed personnel, but those underlying strengths could still shape the matchup.
The Pouākai have named Maddy Timms, Ava Jones, Emilia Ainley, Sari Mowbray, Rebekah Frisby-Smith, Ruby Cutbush and Bella Kraenzlin in their Rapid League group, although Cutbush is questionable.
Hoiho will use Zoe Richards, Tia Pavihi, Alexa Duff, Millie Simpson, Abby Harris, Kiana Brown and Aria Brown.
Pouākai finished last season’s Rapid League 7-5, compared with Hoiho at 5-7.
Pouākai ranked second in both scoring at 34.25 points per game and defence at 30.92 allowed, finishing with a +3.33 scoring margin.
Hoiho averaged 32.25 points while allowing 34.83.
There are some particularly interesting development stories in both groups.
Timms returns after missing the entire 2025 Tauihi season with an ACL injury.
Ainley and Jones both gained senior and Rapid experience last year, while Mowbray and Frisby-Smith arrive with senior basketball experience of their own.
Hoiho have plenty of local youth, including Pavihi and Duff, who were both named to the All-Star Five at the 2026 Tertiary National Championships after averaging 18.6 and 20.4 points respectively.
There was very little separating these teams by the end of 2025.
Hoiho won two of the three regular-season meetings, but Pouākai took the one that mattered most to reach the Grand Final.
Now both return with recognisable cores and significant new talent.
For Pouākai, the biggest question is whether Pivec, Mortensen and Vaughn can replace the production and versatility lost during the offseason while maintaining the rebounding and perimeter volume that defined last year’s team.
For Hoiho, the challenge is replacing the scoring of Jacobs, Simmons and Edwards without losing the ball movement that made them one of the league’s most efficient offences.
Bradley, Dart and Pizzey provide continuity.
Wojta and Bertholdt provide experience.
On the other side, Dale and Yaeger already understand what it takes to reach the Grand Final, while Pivec arrives capable of affecting almost every area of the box score.
Last season’s series finished level.
The next chapter begins tonight at Parakiore.
