Otago Goldrush forward Patrice McKenzie (centre) powers her
way between Waikato's Miriam Slatter (left) and Ashleigh
Cargo during a Women's Basketball Championship match at the
Edgar Centre yesterday. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Otago's shock loss to Taranaki on Thursday night may have
been the wake-up call the squad needed, coach Brent Matehaere
says.
The Goldrush bounced back yesterday to beat the Waikato
Wizards 57-52 and the New Zealand Force Academy 68-59 to
secure a semifinal against the Academy side this morning.
The defending champion the Harbour Breeze will play Waikato
in the other semifinal - a replay of last night's match which
the Breeze won 63-46.
The winners will contest the Women's Basketball Championship
final this afternoon.
Otago made a promising start to the championship, beating
Harbour 62-55 in its opening match. But in the match against
Taranaki, a game it was expected to win, it made a sluggish
start and was unable to peg back the deficit, eventually
losing 54-49.
"We got a bit of a wake-up call against Taranaki," Matehaere
said.
"They came out and played really tough against us. But we've
learnt from that and we know not to underestimate anyone.
"You have to play four solid quarters of basketball to win in
this competition."
Harbour dominated the two qualifying tournaments, cruising
through unbeaten. Otago also played some good basketball but
had to be content with second place, losing both finals to
Harbour.
The two teams were expected to dominate the finals but the
scramble for semifinal spots has been tougher than expected.
Last night, the New Zealand Force Academy pushed hard for a
win against Otago. Tall Ferns guard and former Otago player
Antonia Edmondson scored a game-high 24 points, 18 of which
came in the second half.
Chevannah Paalvast made some impact off the bench, scoring 11
first-half points.
Trailing by three points, Otago out-scored the Academy 21-10
in the crucial third quarter to take control.
Forward Patrice McKenzie was outstanding for the home side
with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Suzie Bates also grabbed 12
boards and scored 12 points.
"We had to really dig deep and work hard for that win,"
Matehaere said.
American-born forward Casey Lockwood had her first run of the
tournament.
The former Princeton Tiger has been struggling with a knee
injury but clocked a solid 14min on court. A classy hook shot
over her marker was a clear sign she has plenty to offer.
"She was snatching at a few things but showed enough promise
that if the swelling stays down on that knee, she is good to
go [today]."
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.