Basketball New Zealand

Women's Basketball Championship

The Harbour Breeze remained on track to win a third straight Women’s Basketball Championship this season with a pair of wins on day two of the Wellington tournament.

Harbour (3-1) defeated the Waikato Wizards 65-52 on Friday night to become the first team to qualify for the championship semifinals, where they will meet the Canterbury Wildcats (2-2) on Saturday morning, tip-off 8.30am.

The Otago Gold Rush (3-1) will face the Taranaki Trojans (2-2) in the other semifinal, after beating the Wildcats 75-66 in the final game of section play in the championship division.

Former Tall Fern Jodi Cameron had 15 points as Harbour pushed away in the second half from a tenacious Wizards line-up, who will settle for the plate final against the Waikato Cougars, who topped the plate section.

Charmian Purcell and Karlene Kingi, a pair of former Tall Ferns, shared a game-high 16 points as the Breeze easily handled their semifinal opponents 60-39 in the morning clash.

Otago also surged into the final four with two wins on Friday, defeating the previously unbeaten Trojans 73-72, after holding their poise down the stretch, then edging Canterbury.

The NZ Academy, coming off an 81-71 win over the GABBA Gators will play the host Wellington Swish for seventh, while the Gators play Hutt Valley for ninth in other games on finals day.

Women’s Basketball Championship

Wellington Tournament

Southwest Stadium, Wellington

Friday, August 21

Championship Section

Waikato Wizards 52 (Natasha Lenden 16, Miriam Slatter 14) Taranaki Trojans 50 (Natalie Moore 17, Amber Bellringer 10)
1Q: 10-9
HT: 25-21 (15-12)
3Q: 37-41 (12-20)
FT: 52-50 (15-9)

Harbour Breeze 60 (Karlene Kingi 16, Charmian Purcell 16) Canterbury Wildcats 39 (Erin Rooney 11, Megan Shea 10)
1Q: 17-15
HT: 38-23 (21-8)
3Q: 48-33 (10-10)
FT: 60-39 (12-6)

Otago Gold Rush 73 (Suzie Bates 23, Elise Cassidy 15, Kelly Groot 12) Taranaki Trojans 72 (Amber Bellringer 18, Terai Sadler 15, Bella McCallum 14, Natalie Moore 14)
1Q: 18-13
HT: 26-42 (8-29)
3Q: 51-62 (25-20)
FT: 73-72 (22-10)

Harbour Breeze 65 (Jodi Cameron 15, Karlene Kingi 14, Chelsea Terei 10) Waikato Wizards 52 (Natasha Lenden 23, Miriam Slatter 14)
1Q: 20-16
HT: 38-35 (18-19)
3Q: 53-43 (15-8)
FT: 65-52 (12-9)

Otago Gold Rush 75 (Elise Cassidy 24, Suzie Bates 21, Janet Main 13) Canterbury Wildcats 66 (Georgina Richards 18, Hannah McKay 14)
1Q: 17-13
HT: 35-31 (18-18)
3Q: 55-44 (20-13)
FT: 75-66 (20-22)

Plate Section

Waikato Cougars 90 (Stacey Hettig 30, Shiana Harris 14, Letava Whippy 11, Moengaroa Subritzky 10) NZ Academy 66 (Natasha Hall 15, Anna Lacey 14, Petra Erceg 10, Milika Nathan 10)
1Q: 16-21
HT: 47-35 (31-14)
3Q: 69-56 (22-21)
FT: 90-66 (21-10)

GABBA Gators 73 (Adoniah Lewis 25, Stevee Theyers 14) Wellington Swish 71 (Molly McCallum 22, Melissa LeToa 15, Jasmine Davis 11, Te Amo Amaru Tibble 10)
1Q: 20-14
HT: 41-36 (21-22)
3Q: 53-53 (12-17)
FT: 73-71 (20-18)

Waikato Cougars 93 (Moengaroa Subritzky 16, Kyler Parai 16, Stacey Hettig 14) Hutt Valley 43 (Mariana Cowan 13, Liz McKie 10)
1Q: 21-14
HT: 43-20 (22-6)
3Q: 74-30 (31-10)
FT: 93-43 (19-13)

NZ Academy 81 (Milika Nathan 22, Natasha Hall 19, Shinae Blair 11) GABBA Gators 71 (Adoniah Lewis 18, Emma Gillespie 12, Ema Bryant 11)
1Q: 11-17
HT: 32-37 (21-20)
3Q: 50-52 (18-15)
FT: 81-71 (31-19)

Wellington Swish 75 (Molly McCallum 21, Jasmine Davis 13, Renee Leota 10) Hutt Valley 64 (Mariana Cowan 17, Ava Filipo 13, Jennifer Bayly 11)
1Q: 18-17
HT: 31-28 (13-11)
3Q: 57-44 (26-16)
FT: 75-64 (18-20)