was very much appreciated and gave me superb memories of my time as your manager. Susan Harding Manager U17 WHITE BASKETBALL Manager: Olivia Austin Coach: Jack Hodgins Team: Daniel Gourley, Michael Li, Gordon Liu, Blake McCarthy, Tadhg McKenna, Lucas Minehan, Ollie Nicholson, Rahal Pathirana, Oscar Ren, Max Tong The season started with a loss to Christchurch Boys’ High School Blue. However, the team was quick to put this rough first game behind it. With some practice under their belt, the boys enjoyed a 39-point win in the second game, followed by an impressive 35-point win at CBHS. Ollie Nicholson led the team, scoring and distributing with ease. Early on, the team started to form their selfless, hard-working, harmonious identity and this laid the foundation for a successful season. There was no better example of their grit than in round five where we only had five players available. Despite this, Michael Li, Lucas Minehan, Rahal Pathirana, Tadhg McKenna, and Gordon Liu played the entire game, holding the opposition to 26 while scoring 64 themselves. Although the team had a couple of tough losses, the ability of the players to recognise what went wrong and what needed improvement was impressive – a testament to the character and maturity of the team. Rebounding was a weakness for the team at the start of the season, but became one of our most valuable skills. Blake McCarthy and Lucas Minehan provided a strong inside presence which helped our defence improve drastically as the season progressed. The eagerness of all the players to want to do better, and the camaraderie that developed amongst the squad, provided a lot of memorable moments. Michael Li was the only returning player from last season and was
invaluable as a leader, both in games and in training. His defensive tenacity and desire to get to the hoop were driving forces in many of the victories this season. Unfortunately, there was no playoff structure in the U17 subgrade. However, the team put in perhaps their greatest performance in the final game of the season, defeating a Burnside squad (85–74) who had beaten us earlier in the season. Many players had their highest-scoring performance of the season, with Oscar Ren, Gordon Liu, Max Tong and Tadhg McKenna showcasing the hard work and improvement the team had achieved. The U17 White Basketball team should be incredibly proud of the season and the way in which the boys conducted themselves in victory and defeat. Olivia Austin Manager U15 BLACK BASKETBALL Manager: Travis Dixon Coach: Tom Higgins Team: Ihaka Cate (captain), Max Airey, Tawhiri Cate, Tom Hazeldine, Benson Huang, Hoani Ifopo-Togia, Kees MacDougall, Alf Markham, Max McNulty, Mark Reidie, Josh Shannahan, George Wilson The Junior A Black team had a successful year, winning five of its seven pool games with an average winning margin of 38 points. The only two losses in the first round were a narrow four-point loss to eventual finalist Kaiapoi High School in the first game of the year and a default loss to St Thomas of Canterbury College because of illness. We finished 3rd equal in our pool to advance to the upper pool, where the boys won all three games against Burnside High School, Shirley Boys’ High School, and Rangiora High School. This gave us 5th spot overall going into the final playoff round. After a comfortable win over Horomaka Gators, we advanced to the quarter-final where we met Kaiapoi High School again. It was a fiercely contested game but the boys came up a little short, losing 63–67.
It was the boys’ outstanding pressure defence that was the backbone of the team. This enabled them to create turnovers that led to easy transition baskets. Josh Shannahan and Max Airey led the way with their smothering defence, with Alf Markham also getting plenty of pass interceptions because of great anticipation. Mark Reidie was the only winner of Travis Dixon’s “chocolate bar for a charge competition”, showing the importance of good footwork. With this style of pressure defence came plenty of fast-break opportunities. In transition, MVP Hoani Ifopo-Togia was a consistent finisher, with a beautiful touch around the basket. Tawhiri Cate honed his skills as point-guard and excelled at finding the open player. Big men George Wilson and Tom Hazeldine were reliable in their ability to tidy up the second- chance points as both had great touch around the basket and rarely missed their opportunities. When the transition was not an option, we could always rely on Ihaka Cate or Benson Huang to make a move off the dribble, while Max McNulty and Kees MacDougall loved spotting up on the arc. On a personal note, it was a pleasure working with this group of basketball players. After a few years being absent from the sport, they reignited my passion for basketball. I am excited to help these players progress in the coming years. Most Valuable Player Hoani Ifopo-Togia Most Valuable Team Player Josh Shannahan Travis Dixon Manager U15 GREY BASKETBALL Manager: Keri Campbell Coach: Fox Gray Team: Luke Hearne (captain), Gabriel Beavan, Charlie Burns, Luke Edmonds, Max Lye, Archie Nijjar, Charlie Raine, Michael Rankin, Louis Tapper, Liam Wylie, Yannis Zhang
206
Christ’s College Canterbury
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online