THE Hamilton Basketball Association (HBA) Women’s Division One competition is evenly poised and with no certain favourite for the premiership, the ultimate glory could go to almost any side in the competition come season’s end.
Due to teams in the division playing different numbers of games, the ladder is based on points average from the number of wins and losses.
St Mary’s Black sits on top of the ladder after round eight, with just one loss from its four games which came in the last round before the break, as it lost to St Mary’s Orange by four points.
Minders is second and has just lost two games that could’ve easily went its way, these came against St Mary’s Black (one point) and Barber Babes (two points).
Minders is in a good position to go all the way and will be confident in the team’s ability to beat anyone on its day.
St Mary’s Orange sits third with a strong showing of four wins, while Tigers (fourth) and Barber Babes (fifth) are tied on points at the bottom of the ladder.
The top three is pretty much locked in for finals, however both Tigers and Barber Babes will be vying for the fourth spot and will each require a big finish to the season.
Looking at the season from a statistical perspective, it is St Mary’s Orange star, Grace Cleaver who has dominated the league to score 70 points this season – this included a 20-point game against Barber Babes.
Isabelle Johnson (Barber Babes) has also caught fire from beyond the arc to lead the division with 10 three-pointers as teammate, Danielle Vankalken leads free throws with 21.
St Mary’s Black
Position: First
Season record: 3-1
Top scorer: Saskia Gould (27 points)
ST MARY’S Black has been one of the teams to beat in the Women’s Division One competition since the side came up from Division Two after three dominant rounds.
Since then, the team has dropped one of its four matches, executing well to win some important close games which has them sitting pretty on top of the ladder with an average of 2.50 average points.
The Saints are a great example that a winning side is more than just a standout player, but instead requires an even scoring contribution from the entire roster.
While Gould leads the scoring with 27 points, Maddox Ryan has shown she can lift and have an impact on the scoreboard with 23 points.
Ruby Cleaver (18 points), Holly Rook and Bailey Ryan (both 14 points) have all combined to produce wins for the side.
Apart from one big win against Barber Babes, they have had some close games but been fortunate enough to come out on top against Minders (one point), Tigers (five points) and St Mary’s Black (four points).
Things are going well for the Saints, but they can’t afford to become complacent.
As a side that came up from Division Two, it’s going to be a big test but with big reward if they can take it all the way.
Minders
Position: Second
Season record: 5-2
Top scorer: Zoe Hill (47 points)
DESPITE a recent uncharacteristic loss against Barber Babes, Minders are still widely regarded as one of the hot favourites for the premiership.
It was only the second game of the season that the team has lost, with the first being a one-point ball game that could’ve went either way against St Mary’s Black.
Zoe Hill has led the way for the side, showcasing her damaging ability to get to the basket and draw fouls – she has also made the most of her opportunities at the line (second in the competition for free throws with 13).
While Tahlia Ross (38 points) has had better scoring seasons in the past, she is still around the mark and would’ve been right up the top of the scoring list had she not missed two games.
The trio of Paige Kissel (31 points), Mia McGrath (28 points) and Rhianne Lewis (26 points) has been lethal at the offensive end of the court.
While Minders isn’t on top of the ladder, they pose the biggest threat as all players are capable of producing strong scoring performances.
If Hill and Ross can put together some big games come finals time, Minders will take some beating.
St Mary’s Orange
Position: Third
Season record: 4-3
Top scorer: Grace Cleaver (70 points)
ST MARY’S Orange is just one win behind Minders and sits in third position with 2.14 points average and a 4-3 season record.
They are the best scoring team in the competition thanks to a stellar season from Cleaver who has contributed 70 points and looks to be right up there in the MVP conversation.
The side lost a couple games on the trot early in the season, but has bounced back well to cement its spot in third with finals basketball fast approaching.
While there is no doubt that Cleaver is their main avenue to the basket, Kate Pickford has led from the front scoring 45 points.
The likes of Karoraina Karatau-Keightley (26 points) and Leesa Iredell (25 points) have also assisted the Saints’ offensive power.
The Saints are coming off a big win against St Mary’s Black in round eight, which took away the top team’s undefeated status.
However, Minders are a side that the Saints have struggled against losing both matches they have played, one was decided by a single point but the other was a nine-point game.
They will look to rectify their form against Minders if the sides meet in finals, but the Saints are definitely a strong chance for the premiership.
Tigers
Position: Fourth
Season record: 2-5
Top scorer: Maddison Cotten (43 points)
WHILE the season hasn’t went the way Tigers would’ve hoped at the start of the year, a finals spot is on the line for the side and Barber Babes is the team that they have to hold off for that to happen.
The two games that Tigers won included a massive 40-point win against Barber Babes in round six, as well as a one-point upset against St Mary’s Orange.
While the big win may lead you to believe that Tigers will have the Barber Babes’ measure and secure fourth spot, they also lost a game to the side earlier in the season by 23 points.
Tigers is a young side but what it lacks in experience, it makes up with firepower as Maddison Cotten (43 points) and Maddison Rhook (40 points) have been shooting the lights out.
Molly O’Brien has been the other main scorer for the side and is creative on the fast break with 30 points to her name.
The next few games will be a real test for Tigers who will be playing every week as though their finals chances depend on it, because they do.
However, they do have a big advantage over the bottom side with a much greater percentage meaning finishing the home and away season on equal points will likely be enough.
Barber Babes
Position: Fifth
Season record: 2-5
Top scorer: Danielle Vankalken (53 points)
BARBER Babes have served up some mixed results this season and with inconsistent performances week to week, it’s hard to know what to expect from the fifth-placed side.
The team has had a couple good wins and some bad losses on the way to sit equal fourth with 1.57 average points.
Barber Babes has had just one game this season decided by less than 15 points which was its last game, a win against Minders.
The main worry for the team is its percentage of just 60.54 which in comparison to Tigers’ 94.12, leaves the side no real option but to win an extra game than Tigers to make finals.
Danielle Vankalken has played a massive role in both of the teams’ wins this season scoring 13 and 10 points respectively and it seems she could be the key to unlock the dream of the finals for the side.
Isabelle Johnson is a specialist three-point shooter dropping 34 points for the season (30 of them from threes), but the side will need more than this pair to win some big games.
Barber Babes’ sole focus for the last few games should be being competitive for longer periods of time as its losses this year have been by massive margins of 23, 24, 15, 40 and 26 points.
