Basketball Report - BBNZ Northern Region Grand Final

Last week St Paul’s U15 team competed in the first national basketball tournament the college has entered, after two successive years of Covid cancellations.

Starting the grand final vs Waitakere with strong defence and fast attack, the team built from previous games and extended their lead to 20 points. Waitakere came back into the game to tie it at 81 each with around three minutes left. A quick timeout and a reminder to focus on defensive principles and expectations helped boost the team to a 92-84 victory. 

The team, captained by Sebastian Smith, was easily the best defensive team in the grade, beating our opponents by an average of 15 points a game. Fast attack and unselfish play saw our team play quickly and creatively sharing the ball and sharing the scoring to excel in every game.

A successful tournament, representing the College on a big stage. A glimpse into the future for St Paul’s basketball and the talented sportsmen coming through Years 9 and 10.

Trophy presentation during Chapel Assembly

Nationals Rugby League Tournament

Five Rugby League games in five days is a tough ask for any player, especially one who also played in a Rugby Union grand final three days earlier. This was the situation our 1st XIII found themselves in with ARU's school rugby season running one week later than normal. Finding themselves in a tough pool at Rotorua's National Secondary Schools Tournament with St Thomas' of Christchurch, Southern Cross Campus and Wesley College, again created a tough job for our team and one they would have to recover well between games to perform at their best. All teams in this pool being renown for their physical style of play.

After a 40+ win over Wesley on day 1, day 2 went less to plan with the team suffering a 30-16 defeat at the hands of Southern Cross. A grinding 8-4 victory over St Thomas on day 3 meant both Southern Cross and St Paul's finished the round on equal points, NZRL checked points for and against and they were identical. It came down to a coin toss to advance to semi finals which didn't go our way. This meant the final game was a play off for 5th and 6th with Wesley College, who St Paul's beat again by over 30 points. 

A disappointing result for a group of players, coaching staff and parents who worked so hard towards this tournament. The efforts of our volunteer coaching staff cannot be faulted and we are grateful for their time and coaching expertise. 

Despite placing 5th, St Paul's College had the most players in the NZ School's tournament team with Sio Kali (Year 12), William Piliu, Zack Stephenson, AJ Jones and Keisaia Su'a (all Year 13) making the National team. 

Thank you to Sefo Fuimaono, Junior Fiu, Willie Hamiora, Dillon Lal, Mr Sharma and Mr Prasad for their service to St Paul's rugby league in 2022.