Whai Finally Change Things Up
It took a beatdown to shake things up at the Whai, but the results were immediate. After suffering their worst ever loss in Tauihi (33 points) the Whai finally shook the tree and injected McKenna Dale into the starting line-up. Despite being under an injury cloud (finger) since the start of the season, Dale has played without any discomfort or visible strapping, adding to the head-scratching as to why she was coming off the bench. However, all that changed against the Hoiho and within an instant the line-up of Cowling, Joens, Dale, Snyder and McSpadden looked in synch. After five straight losses and sinking to the foot of the ladder, we might finally be about to see just what this offesnsive-laden Whai outfit is truly capable of.
A Milestone Worthy Of Applause
Iimar'I Thomas surpassed 500 points in Tauihi late in the Kāhu's demolition of the Whai on Halloween, and to outsiders it probably seemed strange that the milestone was met with so much fanfare, but when you stop and read the numbers it all makes perfect sense. As a competition, as of last Thursday night, the Tauihi pro league was only 79 games old and Thomas was stepping on court for just her 20th game. So do the math - 500 points in 20 games coming in at an average of 25 points per game. That's impressive. And of course Thomas was the first player in Tauihi to reach the mark. A worthy round of applause for the Californian forward.
No Room For Complacency In Tauihi
You snooze, you lose. Plenty of credit and accolades for the Pouākai after taking down the Queens with a 33-14 last quarter blitz - but on the flipside, to the Queens, what on earth happened? The capitulation smacked of complacency and under no circumstances can you afford to give any team an inch in Tauihi. Leading by 19 points with less than 12 minutes to play, the Queens should have controlled the game, but the Pouākai rose as one to deliver a stirring victory, while the Queens stepped away from any offensive structure and stopped working for each other. It will be very interesting to see how the Queens respond in Dunedin next week.
Hoiho Struggling To Find The Right Mix
After two consecutive wins the Southern Hoiho flopped against a desperate Whai team trying to keep their season alive, but behind the 90-71 result there was another story unfolding - what is going on with Ahlise Hurst? For some reason the Australian shooting talent just hasn't been able to find her smooth rhythm this season and a zero-point return in 27 minutes against the Whai marked her toughest outing of 2024. The Hoiho need to quickly get Hurst in some form, the team needs her deadeye long-range stroke to complement the inside presence of Sammy Bowman and Zoe Richards, along with the attacking drive and dish nature of point guard Paige Bradley. Coach Todd Marshall finds himself with some questions to answer - arguably the Hoiho have looked better with Chelsea D'Angelo as a running mate for Bradley, which leaves Hurst and Chou to battle for the small forward spot. An interesting dilemma unfolding in the deep south.
No Margin Is Safe
It wasn't just the Pouākai's come-from-behind win in R5 over the Queens that had fans standing to attention, fact is we have seen numerous games already this season where teams come back from big deficits to grab a win. It shows us that no game is safe, and anything is possible when a team gets on a run. The overall level of play in Tauihi has reached new heights in 2024 - teams are filled with greater talent and all five teams can score quickly. As we head into the second half of the season the warning bell has been rung a few times now - don't go to sleep and give the opposition an opportunity to get on a run.
