Kaipara Secondary School Finals

8 May

The Kaipara Basketball Secondary School finals were held last Friday, the 2nd of May, at Mangawhai Beach School. In its third year since inception, the competition has firmly planted itself in the local basketball calendar. Moved to Term One to accommodate the Northland Premier Secondary Competition, the shortened format provided teams with great preparation for the secondary competition while also acting as qualification for entry into the Northland Premier League.

Play off for 3rd/4th

Rodney College 88 vs Ruawai College 57

The battle for 3rd was played between Ruawai and Rodney. The 1st half was an evenly contested affair with both teams flying up and down the court, showcasing their athleticism. Rodney has a rebuilding team focused on youth, with new Kaipara loyalist Cairo Kotuhi taking the helm in 2025. They showed relentless defence throughout the game, looking to score in transition and constantly push the pace.

Ruawai were led by Mokoia Lewell, who was aggressively attacking the hoop and showcasing some skill in setting up other players. However, Rodney proved to be the eventual winners, running Ruawai out of the gym in the 2nd half. Ruawai were hurt by the absence of their star player JZ Lewell. For Rodney, Tamati Hoani was the driving force of their offence who was practically unguardable when getting to the hoop, dropping 33 points.

Both teams progress into the Premier League for Term 2.

Final

Otamatea High School 73 vs Tauraroa Area School 83

For the third year running, TAS came out victors in the final of the KBA Secondary competition.

Glen McDonald must feel like he’s coming home every time he enters the Mangawhai Beach School Gymnasium. Nevertheless, he didn’t have time to put his feet up on the couch as his team came up against a hungry Otamatea outfit in the final for the first time.

Ota Alumni Kalem Tana made the offseason switch to Otamatea, keen on going one step further than his Rodney teams had in previous years. However, back-to-back MVP Johnathon Karl and the TAS team had other plans. Stifling the Otamatea offensive flow to come out as eventual champions. For Otamatea, young guns Liam Brennan and Jordan Donaldson showed the succession plan is well in place, while Luke Weber battled hard down low.

Unfortunately for Otamatea, Isiah Pere was hampered by foul trouble, leaving one of their main offensive weapons on the bench for large periods of the encounter. For TAS, Karl was ably supported by Kelsey McDonald and defensive stalwart Connor Robinson. Both teams will fancy their chances in the Premier League and have one eye on Single A qualifiers later in the year.