The Yellow I Glass Mainland Pouākai remain top of the 2025 Sky Broadband Rapid League table, while the BNZ Northern Kāhu are still searching for their first win following the conclusion of Round 4.
However, the main talking point of the round was the standout performance of Kāhu teenager Emma-Kaye Schroeder. The southpaw guard scored 21 points in the loss to the Southern Hoiho, setting a new Rapid League single-game scoring record and eclipsing the previous mark of 19 points. Mike Lacey takes you through those key moments and everything else Rapid in this rounds Rapid Wrap.
A strong first quarter, balanced scoring, and accurate three-point shooting helped propel the ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens to a 40-24 win over the BNZ Northern Kāhu in Porirua on Friday night.
The Queens made 6-of-12 from deep, with Briarley Rogers knocking down two in the opening period as the hosts built a 13–3 lead.
Nahala Toeleiu splashed another three and Josie Trousdell (8 points, 7 rebounds) finished inside to stretch the advantage, before the Kāhu hit back through Mary Morton-Jones and Azure Anderson, the margin still 10 points at halftime (23-13).
An even third term saw Keriana Hippolite and Keija Miringaorangi trade triples for their respective sides before the Queens pulled away in the final period to claim their third win of the season.
Queens 40 - Hippolite 8p, Trousdell 8p & 7r, Burrows 8p, Rogers 7p
Kāhu 24 - Morton-Jones 10p, Miringaorangi 5p, Anderson 3p & 7r
After conceding 53 points to the same opponents in the previous round, The Tauranga Whai delivered a far more resolute display before falling 34-31 to the Yellow I Glass Mainland Pouākai in Christchurch on Saturday.
The Whai led 24–23 at three-quarter time before the league leaders strung together a decisive 10-2 run to seize the initiative and the competition points.
Five points apiece from Graecyn Parahi and Sophia Locandro had propelled the Whai to a 17-10 halftime lead. Scores from Esra McGoldrick and Ava Jones trimmed the deficit, but a couple of baskets from Jade Kirisome, the game’s leading scorer, kept the Whai narrowly in front heading into the final term.
From there, inside makes from McGoldrick and Charlotte Whittaker, plus perimeter success from Kavanah Lene and Emma Rogers, saw the Cantabrians control the closing minutes.
Pouākai 34 - E Rogers 10p, Lene 7p, McGoldrick 7p, C Whittaker 6p
Whai 31 - Kirisome 13p, Parahi 8p, S Rogers 5p, Locandro 5p & 2b
Despite a record-breaking performance from teenage guard Emma Schroeder, the BNZ Northern Kāhu fell agonisingly short of their first win, edged 36–35 by the Southern Hoiho in Dunedin on Sunday afternoon.
Schroeder, the 2025 Secondary Schools National Championships MVP, produced a Rapid League record 21 points, but she and the Kāhu were denied by Eva Langton, whose inside finish with three seconds remaining proved the game-winner.
Schroeder’s effort was nearly matched by former Tall Fern Samara Gallaher, who equalled the previous scoring record with 19 points, including a blistering 5-of-6 from three.
Reflecting the contest’s tightness, Hoiho led 8-7 at quarter time, the scores were level at 16–16 at halftime, and tied again 27-27 at three-quarter time.
Schroeder hit her fifth triple with 24 seconds left to seemingly give the Kāhu victory - before Langton stepped up to snatch it away.
Hoiho 36 - Gallaher 19p, Pavihi 6p, Richards 5p & 5r
Kāhu 35 - Schroeder 21p, Anderson 9p, Morton-Jones 4p & 6r
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Mainland Pouākai | 4-1 |
| Tokomanawa Queens | 3-1 |
| Southern Hoiho | 3-2 |
| Tauranga Whai | 2-3 |
| Northern Kāhu | 0-5 |
| Player | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Emma Rogers | Pouākai | 63 |
| Jade Kirisome | Whai | 49 |
| Esra McGoldrick | Pouākai | 40 |
| Samara Gallaher | Hoiho | 38 |
| Kavanah Lene | Pouākai | 37 |
| Emma Schroeder | Kāhu | 35 |
| Sophie Rogers | Whai | 34 |
| Player | Team(s) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Anderson | Kāhu | 142 |
| Pahlyss Hokianga | Whai / Queens | 141 |
| Jacinta Beckley | Queens / Pouākai | 137 |
| Jade Kirisome | Whai | 136 |
| Eva Langton | Queens / Whai / Hoiho | 132 |
| Tyler Mitchell | Hoiho | 126 |
The new single-game scoring record now belongs to 18-year-old Westlake Girls High student Emma Schroeder, who poured in 21 points for Kāhu against Hoiho. It caps a strong few weeks for the guard, who was named MVP at the Secondary Schools National Championships last month after helping Westlake claim a fourth consecutive title, having featured in all four championship-winning teams.
Pouākai guard Emma Rogers, the Rapid League’s leading scorer in 2025, has reached double figures in all five games, the only player to do so through the opening four rounds.
Samara Gallaher’s 19 points against the Kāhu set a new single-game record for the Southern Hoiho, even as Schroeder eclipsed it on the same day.
With Pahlyss Hokianga sidelined for Round 4, Azure Anderson has crept ahead by a single point atop the all-time leading scorer list.
