YEARS 10–11 BLACK BASKETBALL Manager: Ian Stevenson This year the Years 10–11 Black basketball team had a mostly successful season. Viewing games as more social than do or die, the boys enjoyed the camaraderie and the interaction with the other teams and had more wins than losses. By far the highlight for me was the win against Rangiora High School. We had only six players available and the referees on the day were overly officious. We were on foul trouble early and soon players were being fouled out of the game. With three minutes to go we were down to three players against their five. Unbelievably, we held them out to win by five points – quite possibly the miracle of the year. Harvey Watson was voted player of the season, but he had great support from Tim Stewart and Zach Rout- Fortes.
Most Valuable Player Ciaran Huntley Team Player of the Year Jack Brent
comfortable wins against both St Andrew’s College and Catholic Cathedral College. Their basketball prowess was really put to the test in their first match against Hagley College, however. This was a great game, with both teams putting in 110 per cent. College trailed throughout, but posed a real threat to Hagley’s lead with the score at 22–21 with just over eight minutes left on the clock, and again with four minutes left, when the score was 27–26. In the end, Hagley proved the stronger team, taking a 36–31 win. Special mention to Gus Priest who scored a third of College’s points. They were given the chance to prove themselves when they faced Hagley again a fortnight later. The boys were keen to even the score and, indeed, did a stellar job, making us all proud. Again, it was a hard-fought game. It could have gone either way up until the last two minutes when College managed to edge forwards and maintain the lead until the final buzzer. It was a sweet 39–34 win. Another team that gave College a run for its money was Oxford Area School. The opposition took some time to warm up, which meant we had the lead until the second half, but with a huge crowd of supporters constantly shouting encouragement, Oxford turned the game around to show what they were really made of. With 12 minutes to go, College lost the lead and never reclaimed it. In the end, it was a hard 43–47 loss. Their biggest test came just a fortnight later, when they faced Oxford again in the division final. It was an intense and action-packed game. College took the lead early on and held on for most of the game. Unfortunately, they were bettered by Oxford in the last five minutes, conceding a 61–64 loss. Nevertheless, it was an awesome game of basketball, with a win well within our grasp right until the last seconds.
Elaine Tang Manager
YEAR 9 BLACK BASKETBALL
Manager: Melissa Campbell Team: George Brakenridge, Jacob Douglas, Nico Elworthy, Otto Elworthy, Elliott Grey, Nate Herewini, James Higginson, Suhyuk Jung, Sam Milner, Fergus Ryan The scoreboard did not tell the real story about how Team Black fared this season. Sure, we went down to a number of taller and more experienced teams. However, the real story is one of learning, gutsy efforts, teamwork and fun. Over the course of the early weeks, the team learned how to position themselves on court more effectively; they learned the tactics of defensive play, in particular marking a man; and they worked hard on their dribbling and layup skills. As the weeks progressed, and despite the scoreboard, they showed more courage driving the ball down the court, attempting layups against some much taller foes and, gradually, calling for each other and passing more accurately to one another. A highlight of the season was our 53– 23 win over Rangiora High School. Everything came together; the team united. They were constantly looking for each other and achieved great passing accuracy not to mention an excellent shooting percentage. Their defence was persistent and they got grittier once they knew the game was theirs. A highlight was Sam Milner’s nuggety steal of the ball from the opposition. It was awesome watching him sail down the court and nail a 3-pointer. The real winner of the match, however, was teamwork. They called for each other and supported one another. The Rangiora team were good sports, but they didn’t stand a chance.
YEAR 10 BLACK BASKETBALL Manager: Elaine Tang
Team: Max Arrandale, Jack Brent, Finlay Broomhall, Charlie Eglinton, Ciaran Huntley, William Jones, Dominic Lee, Gus Priest, George Ryan, Daniel Wei, Tommy Williamson, Joey Young The Year 10 Black team had a great season, winning most of their games. Each student played a key role in this success and all showed excellent skills. Throughout the season we were fortunate to have plenty of parental support, which was a huge boost for morale, especially at away games. The boys kicked off the season with a confident win over Hillview Christian School. It was 18–18 at half time, but the team managed to storm ahead in the second half to secure a 51–31 win. Ciaran Huntley and Charlie Eglinton were key players and scored some impressive points in this game. Following this, they had relatively
194
Christ’s College Canterbury
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs