Double success for netball teams

NETBALL

THERE was reward on and off the court for St Mary’s and Wellington East at the national secondary schools championships in Auckland last week.

Both schools finished in the top three, with St Mary’s second and East third, and five Wellington players made the tournament selection.

It was an impressive outcome in a competition where Wellington schools have usually struggled to make a mark.

No other Wellington teams have finished in the top three this century and St Mary’s is just the second Wellington school to make the national final, after the Wellington Girls team who won the tournament in 1999.

Wellington Girls’ finished fourth in 2008 and 2009 while St Mary’s were third at the inaugural tournament, in 1993, and again the following year.

Last week’s results also raised hopes for future tournaments. East look set for a halcyon period, with the bulk of their squad returning for the next two years, and though St Mary’s will lose the core of their 2013 starting lineup, they should still have a competitive side next year.

East had three players selected for the tournament team with year 11 midcourt players Mila ReueluBuchanan and Mereana Makea joining year 13 goal shoot Emma O’Neill.

Centre Whitney Souness and goal attack Monalisa Groom were the St Mary’s players to make the tournament team, capping a big year for both players.

It was another accolade for Souness, who had also been selected for the national provincial tournament team the previous week, after shining for the Wellington senior side in Dunedin.

Backing up at the secondary schools championship tested her fitness and energy levels but she was able to excel again.

‘‘You can never say too much about Whitney – she played brilliantly,’’ St Mary’s coach Pelesa Semu said. ‘‘She’s definitely someone to watch out for in the future.

‘‘She has worked really hard through the year. She was a lot fitter and sharper this year. She was focused on where she wanted to be and put in the mileage to get there.

‘‘It’s been full on for her in September and October with training sessions for school and the provincial team but she’s been able to perform week in and week out.’’

St Mary’s were undefeated going into the secondary schools final, against defending champions Mt Albert Grammar, but a horror second quarter put paid to their title hopes.

It was 10-8 to Mt Albert after the first quarter but Mt Albert outscored their rivals 14-2 in the second quarter, including a run of 10 unanswered goals, to lead 24-10 at halftime.

The third and fourth quarters were much tighter but the damage had been done and Mt Albert won 41-23.

‘‘We started really well and I think we rattled them a bit in the first quarter but they blew us away in the second quarter,’’ Semu said. ‘‘We couldn’t stop their flow.’’ The St Mary’s shooters also struggled against the attention of Mt Albert defenders Jamie Lee-Price and Holly Fowler, who are both in the New Zealand schools side.

‘‘We had shot really well through the week but our shooting stats in the final were terrible,’’ Semu said.

‘‘But full credit to MAGS. They were very clinical. They were strong on the ball and pounced on everything. When they got turnovers, they just converted them.

‘‘But they kept their starting lineup on for the whole match, which I think was an indication of the respect they had for us.’’

Mt Albert goal shoot Maia Wilson landed 34 from 35 attempts and Mt Albert put up 47 shots, missing just six, while St Mary’s missed with 19 of 42 attempts.

‘‘The [final] score didn’t indicate how tight the game was,’’ Semu said.

St Mary’s comfortably won their three pool games and then had to record three more wins to make the final. They beat Auckland Girls 27-23 and had an easy win over Pukekohe before defeating Wellington East 39-34 in what became a semifinal clash.

East led 28-27 after the third quarter but St Mary’s dominated the final quarter, outscoring East 12-6.

‘‘I was extremely proud of our girls,’’ Semu said. ‘‘We have achieved a lot since we started in February. To end up in the top two in New Zealand was great for them and for Wellington.

‘‘We set some goals at the beginning of the week and we got nine out of 10. Ultimately, we wanted to win the final. I felt we had prepared well and they didn’t go into the final thinking that they weren’t capable of winning.

‘‘The five year 13 players – Groom, Souness, Loretta Maiava, and Silia and Tricia Setefano – all performed brilliantly over the week and I’m pretty sure there would have been three or four others in the team who would have been on the borderline of making the tournament team,’’ Semu said.

Two of the St Mary’s starting lineup – defender Colleen Faleafaga and year 11 goal shoot Jermaine Howard-Vallance- will be back next year while defender Kelsey Hanrahan, who also got on court in the final, midcourter Milan Lefaoseu and year 9 Sariah Penese, who can play at wing attack or goal attack, also return from the tournament squad.

‘‘We can build a team around the five who are returning,’’ Semu said.

‘‘We will have to start all over again but that’s the nature of college netball.’’