With the business end of the tournament gathering momentum, several teams left their mark in a defining second day鈥檚 play at the NZ Secondary Schools Netball Champs in Porirua on Wednesday.
With the top eight confirmed -- those in contention for the title 鈥� and split into two pools of four, Westlake Girls High School (Auckland) emerged as front-runners in the first round of the cross-over matches.
Coached by former Silver Fern April Ieremia, Westlake made the perfect start to their title aspirations with a hard-fought 32-25 win over Rotorua Girls鈥� High School to remain the only team with a perfect record after the first two days of play.
With Rotorua leading by one at the first break, Westlake delivered a game-changing second quarter to take an 18-12 lead into halftime and while the second half was tight, the Aucklanders taking the spoils by a single goal, they had done enough to clinch the vital points.
Following a surprise drawn game on the opening day, Mount Albert Grammar School (Auckland) have found their feet to sit within touching distance of Westlake and reaffirmed their credentials with a close 35-33 win over Trident High School (Whakatane) in a highly anticipated clash between the two high-flying unbeaten teams coming into the first of the cross-over matches.
Taking an 8-7 lead at the first quarter, the Sulu Fitzpatrick-coached Mt Albert team had the better of the second quarter by three goals while Trident won the third stanza by two. That left Mt Albert with a slim two-goal buffer heading down the home straight which after a gallant effort from Trident ended drawn and enough for the Aucklanders to seal the win.
Respective goal shoots, Mali Toleafoa (Grammar) and Mihiwai Henare (Trident) were standouts for their teams in standing solid under the post as their side鈥檚 main scorers.
In the other two cross-over matches, teams that finished second in their respective pools did their title chances no harm when securing well-merited wins.
Defending champions Howick College were comprehensive 41-17 winners over the previously unbeaten St Mary鈥檚 College, Wellington. With the first quarter all tied up at nine goals apiece, Howick well and truly burst St Mary鈥檚 bubble with a dominant outing in the following three quarters.
With a superior height and physical advantage, Howick kept St Mary鈥檚 under sustained pressure for much of the game and made the most of their numerous opportunities while restricting the Wellington side to a meagre return on the scorecard.
Tall goal shoot Sierra Lauese was a slick operator through her movement and accuracy under the hoop, well supported through a strong service from her midcourters to keep Howick firmly in the box seat.
After finishing second in pool play, St Hilda鈥檚 Collegiate School (Dunedin) kept the flag flying for the South Island with an impressive 41-34 win over Queen Margaret College (Wellington) in their first cross-over match.
With Queen Margaret enjoying a tense 9-8 lead at the first break, the titanic struggle remained on the resumption, both teams finding more effective ways to find their tall goal shoots, Isabella Vaaitoa (Queen Margaret College) and Charlee Farquhar (St Hilda鈥檚) before the South Islanders grabbed the impetus to push in front and stay there.
After the tight opening, the game became a more free-flowing affair, resulting in greater turnover opportunities of which St Hilda鈥檚 were the main beneficiaries.
Taking a handy 23-17 lead into halftime, St Hilda鈥檚 looked to be in a position of control but a stirring fightback from the Wellington team closed the gap to three at three-quarter time. Enterprising Queen Margaret goal attack Brook Tongia was an active presence through her play-making abilities on attack and opportunist intercepts on defence to help her side get within two.
However, the quick feeding skills of midcourters Ruby Hore and Kyla Ashton to Farquhar, who was solid on the shot and unrivalled on the rebound, helped steady the St Hilda鈥檚 ship as they repelled the challenge before pulling away.
The winning teams have gained the slightest of edges heading into another two rounds tomorrow but all teams have everything to play for as the outcomes will decide Friday鈥檚 final place play-offs.
In the morning鈥檚 round of final pool matches to determine the top eight, St Mary鈥檚 College, Wellington, Westlake Girls High School (Auckland) and Trident High School (Whakatane) continued their unbeaten runs to top their respective pools. Mount Albert Grammar were not far behind after recording two wins and a draw.
They were joined by Howick College, Queen Margaret College, St Hilda鈥檚 Collegiate School and Rotorua Girls鈥� High School, who also advanced to the top-eight after finishing runners-up in their respective pools.
Rotorua Girls鈥� High and Scots College finished on equal points in Pool D but Rotorua clinched the all-important runners-up spot on goal differential.