Only Limited Spectators were allowed inside to watch these Grand Finals once the basketball season resumed
McDonald’s Whelan Trophy Division I Final:
St. Andrew’s College vs Rangiora High School
St. Andrew’s was not only going for back-to-back titles, but also back-to-back perfect seasons. All that was left standing in their way was an extremely tough Rangiora team.
Things couldn’t have gone better for the defending champs to start the game – holding Rangiora to a paltry six points in the first ten minutes. There was a momentum shift in the second, as the Ducks began to gain a bit of self-belief – themselves holding the fancied StAC team to single digits.
The lid came off the basket in the second half. Both teams scored over twenty in the third quarter, trading the lead back and forth, an Isabella Gibson layup breaking the tie as the quarter closed. The St. Andrew’s defence re-asserted itself in the final quarter, as they went on a 20-3 run, and completed a second straight perfect season by winning the game 70-53.
Terina Cooper taking home the Finals MVP award, as she was the calming influence that her team needed that shone through in the game.
St. Andrew’s 70 (Isabella Gibson 12; Lauren Whittaker 11, 13r; Lose Faingaanuku 10)
Rangiora 53 (Ashlyn Rean 13, 12r; Georgia Gold 12, 12r)
Click here for the full box score.
Christ’s College vs St. Andrew’s College
Once again COVID impacted the end of the High School season – with the country going into lockdown on the night we played the first playoff games in all of our divisions. Each team that was still alive, resumed playing five weeks later, though this year spectator numbers were highly limited (if allowed at all).
St. Andrew’s was after revenge for last year’s final, and built themselves a 15-point lead in the second quarter thanks in part to some excellent defense. Unfortunately, cold shooting for StAC over the next six minutes of the game saw Christ’s produce a 13-2 run, and trim that lead down to a much more manageable four points. It was a battle the rest of the quarter. A Mitchell Corkery layup put St. Andrew’s up five, only a few possessions later it was Josh Book’s desperation heave at the buzzer, that bounced four times before falling through the hoop for three points, giving Christ’s College a slim lead.
Christ’s had the slight edge in the fourth quarter, winning 30-27, with Hunter Adam and Josh Book a perfect 4/4 from the Free Throw line in the dying seconds as they secured the win.
Christ’s College went back-to-back, retaining the Thomson Trophy with a final score of 92-88, and Josh Book taking home the Finals MVP award, dropping 45 points, and grabbing 14 rebounds in the win.
Christ’s College 92 (Josh Book 45, 14r; Nic Book 18, 9r; Hunter Adam 17, 10r)
St. Andrew’s 88 (Benji Freeman 25, 18r; Jackson Rhodes 23, 12r; Tanae Lavery 18, 7a; Mitchell Corkery 15)
Click here for the full box score.
