Basketball New Zealand

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The Women’s Basketball Championship got a sneaky peak of tomorrow’s semifinals … and it had a very familiar feel to it.

When the dust settled on the championship division in Dunedin, the home team – Oceana Otago Goldrush – had emerged on top of the heap. With the same 3-1 record, defending champions NZ Force Harbour Breeze were hot on their heels and headed towards a rerun of last year’s final … and the finals of this year’s two preliminary rounds.

On Day Two, both teams accounted for the previously unbeaten Waikato Wizards. Otago also dispatched the NZ Force Academy and rode their win over Harbour the previous day to the top seeding, earning another meeting with the youngsters in the semis.

The Force toppled Taranaki Trojans in the morning and must now repeat their success over the veteran Wizards to reach the title game.

The hapless Trojans – the only team to defeat Otago so far this week – also came up blank on the second day and now face Palmerston North Storm for the WBC plate.

Women’s Basketball Championship

Edgar Centre, Dunedin
Friday, August 20
9am
Taranaki Trojans 50 NZ Force Academy 58
Hutt Valley Flyers 61 NZ Force Cougars 49

11am
Waikato Wizards 52 Oeana Goldrush 57
NZ U17 71 Canterbury Wildcats 48

2pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 69 Taranaki Trojans 62
NZ Force Cougars 51 Palmerston North Storm 62

5pm
Oceana Goldrush 68 NZ Force Academy 59
Hutt Valley Flyers 52 NZ U17 56

7pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 63 Waikato Wizards 46
Palmerston North Storm 59 Canterbury Wildcats 57

Section A – Championship

Oceana Goldrush 3-1
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 3-1
Waikato Wizards 2-2
NZ Force Academy 1-3
Taranaki Trojans 1-3

Section B – Plate
Palmerston North Storm 4-0
NZ U17 3-1
Canterbury Wildcats 2-2
Hutt Valley Flyers 1-3
NZ Force Cougars 0-4

Saturday, August 21
9am
Oceania Goldrush v NZ Force Academy (SF 1)
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Waikato Wizards (SF 2)

11am
Hutt Valley v NZ Force Cougars (7th/8th)
Canterbury Wildcats v NZU17 (9th/10th)

2pm
Taranaki Trojans v Palmerston North Storm (Plate Final, 5th/6th)

4pm
Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2 (Championship Final)

7.30pm
Prize Giving
Port Otago Lounge, The Edgar Centre