G.J. Gardner Homes Tauihi
BNZ Northern Kāhu (63) lose to The Northern Group Tauranga Whai (76)
The Northern Group Tauranga Whai stormed out to a 17-2 lead in the opening minutes of their semi-final against the defending champion BNZ Northern Kāhu to grab a lead they would never relinquish en-route to a 78-63 point win, just their second in 12 attempts against the Kāhu, the biggest in franchise history and one that gives the Whai the right to host a home final in Tauranga next week.
The Kāhu steadied the ship after the initial Whai volley to close the gap several times during the game, but the Whai stuck to their gameplan that pushed the pace and let the triples fly to keep the home team at arms length and deny the defending champs a third consecutive trip to the championship game.
The 2024 G.J Gardner Homes Tauihi Grand Final will be played in Tauranga at the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre next Sunday the 22nd of December, tipping off at 3pm, live on Sky Sport
Top Players:
Kāhu - IImar'I Thomas (18pts, 11rbs, 2stls), Penina Davidson (12pts, 8rbs, 2ast, 2stls, 1blk), Chloe Forster (11pts, 3rbs, 3stsl, 1blk)
Whai - Ashley Joens (28pts, 8rbs, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk), McKenna Dale (23pts, 7rbs, 1stl, 3blks), Morgan Yaeger (10pts, 7rbs, 5ast, 5stls, 1blk)
