photo credit: Photowellington / Masanori Udagawa
In Round 8 of the Sky Broadband Rapid League BNZ Northern Kāhu saw its sequence of eight straight wins come to an end in Tauranga. The Kāhu loss to their nearest rivals means that the Rapid League championship trophy remains on ice for at least one more week, read on as Mike Lacey takes you through the title chase and everything else Rapid
Southern Hoiho v BNZ Northern Kāhu
In the first of two games in the round Kāhu picked up its eighth consecutive win when downing Southern Hoiho 31-23 at the Edgar Centre, Dunedin on Thursday night.
Elise Gilbert made a couple of early scores for the Hoiho but with Krystal Leger-Walker and Steph Bairstow dictating terms Kāhu entered the half-time break with an 18-8 advantage.
Bairstow and Mary Goulding extended the lead to a dozen and although Millie Simpson posted points Hoiho trailed 25-12 at three-quarter time.
Tyler Mitchell and Caitlin O’Connell gave the home crowd something to cheer in the fourth but a second three of the game from Leger-Walker and more points from Goulding ensured that Kāhu opened its Round 8 double-header with a win.
Southern Hoiho 23 – Millie Simpson 6pts, Caitlin O’Connell 5pts, Tyler Mitchell 5pts
BNZ Northern Kāhu 31 – Krystal Leger-Walker 10pts & 4rebs, Steph Bairstow 9pts & 4rebs, Mary Goulding 7pts & 4rebs
The Northern Group Tauranga Whai v BNZ Northern Kāhu
Things didn’t go to plan for Kāhu in its second outing as the top two sides in Rapid League ’24 went head to head in Tauranga on Saturday night. In a game with play-off intensity it was The Northern Group Tauranga Whai that prevailed beating Kāhu 39-33.
A win in Tauranga would have seen Kāhu claim the 2024 Rapid League title but instead their run of eight consecutive wins came to a halt meaning Whai’s chance of claiming the title – albeit slim - is still alive.
Ahead 18-15 at half-time Whai, paced by the teenage duo of Pahlyss Hokianga and Emma Rogers, held it’s collective nerve in the second half to inflict just the second defeat of the season on the league leaders.
Hokianga and Rogers scored 12 points apiece for Whai shooting a collective 8 from 12 from the field. Rogers also corralled 5 rebounds with Hokianga dishing 3 assists.
Azure Anderson was outstanding for Kāhu adding 5 rebounds (all offensive) and 3 steals to a team high 10 points while fellow forward Steph Bairstow also had 5 rebounds to accompany 9 points
The Northern Group Tauranga Whai 39 – Pahlyss Hokianga 12pts & 3 assists, Emma Rogers 12pts & 5rebs, Kaylee Smiler 5pts & 5rebs
BNZ Northern Kāhu 33 – 10pts, 5rebs & 3stls, Stephanie Bairstow 9pts & 5rebs, Mary Goulding 7pts
ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens v Haswell Timber Mainland Pouākai
Having lost the opening five games of the season ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens made it three wins in the last four outings with a 39-33 come from behind home win against Haswell Timber Mainland Pouākai in Wellington on Sunday.
The Queens prospects didn’t look so promising in the opening half when they trailed 20-12 after Sharne Robati, Ash Strawbridge and Tara Manumaleuga had inflicted some damage.
However, inspired by an outstanding performance from 2024 Junior Tall Fern Keriana Hippolite, Queens chewed up the deficit in the third quarter and stormed to victory in the fourth.
On her way to a Queens Rapid best 18 points Hippolite made a pair of threes at the back end of the third to pull the hosts level at 28 points apiece.
Alana Paewai then put Queens ahead with the opening points of the fourth before Hippolite scored the next 7 points to see her team to victory and complete an outstanding personal performance – her points haul the second highest single game score in the women’s Rapid League.
ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens 40 – Keriana Hippolite 18pts & 7rebs, Alana Paewai 6pts, Jacinta Beckley 5pts & 3 assists
Haswell Timber Mainland Pouākai 31 – Sharne Robati 11pts, Tara Manumaleuga 8pts & 3 assists, Ash Strawbridge 4pts & 5rebs
Rapid Express
Steph Bairstow, with 18 points across the two games played by Northern Kāhu in the round, took her tally to 101 points this season. The Australian forward thus becoming the first player to pass a century of points this season.
Keriana Hippolite’s 18 points against Pouākai set a single game record for a Queens player in the Rapid League and was only one-point short of the all-time mark of 19 scored by Kāhu’s Ilmar’l Thomas. It is however the best Rapid League score by a Kiwi.
Rapid Fire
The 72 aggregate points scored in Whai’s 39-33 defeat of Kāhu were the most points scored in a Rapid fixture this season.
Rapid Leading Scorers
101 Steph Bairstow (Kāhu)
74 Jacinta Beckley (Queens)
62 Eva Langton (Whai)
58 Azure Anderson (Kāhu)
56 Sharne Robati (Pouākai)
56 Ash Strawbridge (Pouākai)
46 Tara Manumaleuga (Pouākai)
44 Tyler Mitchell (Hoiho)
43 Kaylee Smiler (Whai)
42 Alana Paewai (Queens)
42 Emma Rogers (Whai)
41 Chelsea D’Angelo (Hoiho)
Rapid Leading Rebounders
43 Steph Bairstow (Kāhu)
35 Kaylee Smiler (Whai)
31 Jacinta Beckley (Queens)
31 Eva Langton (Whai)
31 Emma Rogers (Whai)
29 Vitolia Tuilave (Pouākai)
28 Azure Anderson (Kāhu)
26 Millie Simpson (Hoiho)
26 Aliyah Dunn (Hoiho)
24 Ash Strawbridge (Pouākai)
23 Sharne Robati (Pouākai)
Rapid Regulars
With two rounds remaining only 14 players have played every game for their respective clubs:
Azure Anderson & Lilly Rotunno (Kāhu), Eva Langton, Kaylee Smiler & Emma Rogers (Whai), Lauryn Hippolite & Grace Hunter (Queens), Lauren Tewhata, Tara Manumaleuga, Vitolia Tuilave & Tessa Morrison (Pouākai), Mille Simpson, Tyler Mitchell & Abby Harris (Hoiho)
Sky Broadband Rapid League Standings
