MONIVAE Dolphins and St Mary’s played a thrilling draw in round four of the Hamilton Basketball Association Women’s Division 1-2 Autumn season on Tuesday.
The 26-26 draw pushes the Saints up to third on the ladder and gives them an edge over some of the other lower teams, while Monivae sits fifth.
Abbey Hill played an important game for Monivae, scoring nine points including the only three-pointer of the game, and was well assisted by Maggie Doyle (seven points).
Leesa Iredell continues to be a consistent performer for St Mary’s, scoring a season-high 11 points and showing her power, but needed more teammates to help at the offensive end.
Tigers d. Minders Blue
TIGERS smashed a winless Minders Blue outfit by 32 points, as it continues to try and knock off Sportscene Minders from top spot on the ladder.
It was the Tigers young guns who again stood up and delivered for their side in the 52-20 win, as Grace Cleaver (12 points) and Molly O’Brien (10 points) took the game away from Minders Blue.
Every player but one managed to score for the losing side, but while the scoring load was shared around, they needed one player to turn that into a big individual score.
Tigers sit second after a boost in percentage, while Minders Blue will be looking to bounce back and get a win on the board next week.
Sportscene Minders d. St Mary’s Black
PAIGE Kissel had a night out against St Mary’s Black and single-handedly brought home an emphatic 16-point win for her undefeated side, as she had the highest scoring game for the season dropping a monster 31 points – the next highest from her team was four points.
The Saints were no match as Kissel dominated the court all game, capitalising on any opportunity to get to the bucket, bringing the final score to 44-28.
Saskia Gould offered some resistance for St Mary’s Black as she has done many times this season, scoring 11 points in the loss.
Minders remain on top while St Mary’s Black currently sit in fourth with just one win so far this season.
Division 1 Men
St Mary’s Orange d. Minders White
THE reigning premiers are going to take some catching this season in Division 1 Men’s competition, beating Minders White 65-48, on Wednesday.
It was raining threes at each end of the floor, as Deacon White (St Mary’s) and Josh Miller (Minders) each sunk four from beyond the arc, while Will Povey chipped in with three.
A big team effort from St Mary’s was enough to secure the win with four players scoring double figures, White leading the team’s efforts with 26 points.
Minders White was a one-man army on offence, as Miller continued his stellar season with a huge return of 32 points – two thirds of his team’s score.
Minders Blue d. Tigers
MINDERS has handed Tigers another win this season, running away to beat the bottom side by 17 points with the scoreboard showing 43-26 at the final buzzer.
Aaron Glare led the way for Minders Blue, dropping 17 points in a dominant display from the paint, free throw line and beyond the arc.
Minders were a bit big for Tigers, who needed some bigger guys to contest in the paint on both the offensive and defensive ends.
The win pushes them into the top four, while Tigers are battling away to try and get their first win.
Barber Boys d. St Mary’s Black
BARBER Boys have survived a gallant effort from St Mary’s Black to win by eight points to remain on top of the Division 1 Men’s ladder, while St Mary’s battles to stay off the bottom.
Nate Krause delivered his weekly standout performance, scoring 24 points for the Barber Boys, while some of the bigger bodies in Shai Bunworth and Jakob Greaves provided 13 points each and played key roles in the paint.
Jack Jennings provided a spark for St Mary’s Black, dropping some big three-pointers on his way to 11 points, but his team fell eight points short of their first win.
Despite a great effort, Barber Boys are still yet to be beaten and through Krause and their other great shooters, they are winning each week with ease.
