ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens (80) def. The Northern Group Tauranga Whai (70) - Queens close it out late in Tauranga
Tokomanawa finished strongest in Tauranga, beating the Whai 80-70 after a tight three-quarter arm wrestle. The hosts led early, but the Queens edged in front 23–22 after the first and 40–34 at halftime behind Kristy Wallace’s relentless rim pressure and Penina Davidson’s inside touch. The Whai mounted a third-quarter response through Laina Snyder and Hannah Hank, trimming the margin to 56-55 at the break of three.
The final period belonged to Tokomanawa. Wallace sparked a key sequence with a layup and free throws, Louise Brown finished an alley-oop from Wallace, and Stella Beck added timely boards and a steal as the lead stretched beyond two possessions. Wallace tied a bow in it late with 3 points from the freethrow line, the Queens’ dominance at the stripe and in the paint proving decisive despite Whai’s perimeter shooting.
Tokomanawa Queens - Kristy Wallace (30 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST), Penina Davidson (18 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST), Louise Brown (15 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST)
Whai - Laina Snyder (19 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST), Hannah Hank (17 PTS, 10 REB, 2 AST), Jessica McDowell-White (12 PTS, 1 REB, 5 AST)
Tokomanawa Queens (32) def. Tauranga Whai (25) - Queens withstand late push to win on the road
Tokomanawa Queens have continued their strong run in the Rapid League season, holding off a late surge from Tauranga Whai to claim a 32-25 win at the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre in Tauranga.
The game opened as a defensive grind with both sides struggling to convert early chances, the Queens edging ahead 8-5 after the first. They built a cushion in the second quarter behind Briarley Rogers’ accuracy from the line and Josephine Trousdell’s presence inside, heading into halftime with a 21–15 advantage.
The Whai refused to fade, led by Charis Broughton’s hustle off the bench and Jade Kirisome’s energy attacking the rim. Tauranga cut the margin to four points early in the final period before Pahlyss Hokianga-Heather steadied the visitors with clutch free throws and a late layup to push the lead back to seven.
In a low-scoring finish, Keriana-Marie Hippolite’s rebounding and defensive poise ensured there would be no late comeback as Tokomanawa closed it out for a composed road win. The victory sees the Queens continue to set the standard defensively, limiting Whai to just seven made field goals for the game.
Tokomanawa Queens – Pahlyss Hokianga-Heather (8 PTS, 2 REB), Briarley Rogers (9 PTS, 2 REB), Keriana-Marie Hippolite (6 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST)
Tauranga Whai – Charis Broughton (10 PTS, 2 REB), Jade Kirisome (6 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST), Graecyn Parahi (4 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST)
