Round 5 delivered overtime drama and a new team on top of the ladder, Mike Lacey takes you through those key details and every other twist and stat in this week’s Rapid Wrap.
Photo: Katrina Parish
A corner three from Charis Broughton, deep into overtime, carried the Tauranga Whai to a 42–39 win over BNZ Northern Kāhu. After the scores were tied at 37–all in regulation, Jade Kirisome nudged the Whai ahead, only for the returning Krystal Leger-Walker to level it from the free-throw line.
Following Broughton’s triple, Aussie forward Ella Batish, on debut, had a chance to force a second overtime but her three-point attempt bounced off the back of the rim, leaving the Kāhu still searching for their first win of the season.
Sophia Locandro paced the Whai with 15 points, with Kirisome next best on 8. Azure Anderson led the Kāhu with 11, while Leger-Walker and Emma Schroeder added 7 apiece.
Locandro’s eight first-half points helped the Whai to a 17-13 lead at the break. With Mary Morton-Jones and Leger-Walker connecting from deep, the margin was just two at three-quarter time (29-27).
Keeley Tini gave the Kāhu the lead in the fourth before Kirisome and Sophie Rogers restored the Whai advantage. Batish tied it with a late triple, but Broughton hit the game winner in the extra period.
Tauranga Whai 42: Locandro 15p, 6r; Kirisome 8p; Parahi 6p; Broughton 6p
BNZ Northern Kāhu 39: Anderson 11p; Schroeder 7p, 3a; Leger-Walker 7p; Morton-Jones 6p, 4r
ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens, led by Briarley Rogers’ 16 points, edged Yellow i Glass Mainland Pouākai 33–31 at Cowles Stadium.
After an Emma Rogers triple and two from Hana Lacey-Rameka, Pouākai led 31–28 late in the fourth. Briarley Rogers tied it with her second three and, after two defensive stops, Josie Trousdell sank both free throws with seven seconds left to avenge an earlier loss to the Cantabs.
The Rogers cousins scored four points apiece in an even first quarter before Charlotte Whittaker’s seven in the second nudged the hosts ahead 16–15. Pahlyss Hokianga and Briarley Rogers combined for 12 in the third to give the Queens a 28–24 lead heading into the last. Lacey-Rameka and Emma Rogers briefly restored the Pouākai lead, but Briarley and Trousdell sealed it late.
Yellow i Glass Mainland Pouākai 31: E Rogers 13p, 3a; Whittaker 7p, 7r; Lacey-Rameka 4p
ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens 33: B Rogers 16p; Hippolite 6p; Trousdell 5p; Hokianga 5p
Tokomanawa Queens guard Paige Burrows sank two free throws on the final play to secure a 33–29 win over Southern Hoiho in Porirua.
Triples from Briarley Rogers and Pahlyss Hokianga helped the Queens to a 10–8 quarter-time lead. Two even quarters followed and it was still a two-point game at three-quarter time (26–24).
Eva Langton tied it at 27 with a three before free throws from Keriana Hippolite and Hokianga pushed the Queens back in front. Lil Dart cut it to one inside the final minute. Dart had a chance to tie it in the dying seconds but her shot rimmed out, Trousdell grabbed her eighth rebound and Burrows iced the win at the stripe.
ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens 33: Hokianga 8p, 3a; Burrows 8p; Rogers 7p; Trousdell 2p, 8r
Southern Hoiho 29: Langton 9p; Gallaher 5p, 8r; Dart 5p
5–1 Tokomanawa Queens
4–2 Mainland Pouākai
3–3 Southern Hoiho
3–3 Tauranga Whai
0–6 Northern Kāhu
76 Emma Rogers (Pouākai)
57 Jade Kirisome (Whai)
53 Briarley Rogers (Queens)
44 Keriana Hippolite (Queens)
43 Samara Gallaher (Hoiho)
42 Emma Schroeder (Kāhu)
42 Azure Anderson (Kāhu)
40 Esra McGoldrick (Pouākai)
40 Sophia Locandro (Whai)
39 Kavanah Lene (Pouākai)
39 Sophie Rogers (Whai)
154 Pahlyss Hokianga (Whai and Queens)
153 Azure Anderson (Kāhu)
144 Jade Kirisome (Whai)
141 Eva Langton (Queens, Whai, Hoiho)
137 Jacinta Beckley (Queens, Pouākai)
132 Emma Rogers (Whai, Pouākai)
126 Tyler Mitchell (Hoiho)
New Zealand U16 representative Shamar Broughton hit the game winner, a corner three, as the Whai edged Kāhu in an overtime thriller.
Pouākai guard Emma Rogers, the Rapid League’s leading scorer this season, has scored in double figures in all six games, the only player to do so through the first five rounds.
The Rogers family from Tauranga features across the top-10 scorers this season. Emma (Pouākai) leads with 76, cousin Briarley (Queens) is third with 53, and Emma’s sister Sophie (Whai) is tied 10th with 39.
The trio also tops all three shooting percentage leaderboards. Briarley leads in three-point percentage at 44%, Emma leads in two-point percentage at 61%, and Sophie leads at the free-throw line at 84%.
