Our boys made an outstanding debut at this 3X3 tournament, which is basketball’s version of Rugby 7s, going into the competition seeded 20th and claiming 8th place.
Zac Arudas, Dylan Botherway, Angelo Matanguihan, Kirk Peteru and Thomas Wood represented the College in the Senior Open Division at the New Zealand Secondary Schools 3X3 Basketball Championships in Tauranga last week.
Finishing at the top of Pool D after 6 Round Robin games they qualified for the National Quarter Final. Our team came in as the 20th seed to secure wins over Auckland International College, Papamoa College, Pukekoke High School, with crucial wins over Te Kura Kokiri Tane (eventual National Runner Up) and Hamilton Boys High School. Our only slip up was a loss against neighbours, Howick College, who finished outside the top 16.
Our Quarter Final opponent was 2nd seed Te Aroha College and although we were confident, Te Aroha’s New Zealand representatives proved to be too much for us and we fell short 11-16 at full time. Next up was the 5th – 6th Semi Final against a big team from Nga Taiatea Wharekura. It was an incredibly physical game with both sides diving on loose balls, fighting for every possession and defending with intensity. Our team were down, 10 – 11 with 3 seconds remaining when Zac Arudas secured possession behind the 3 point line (worth 2 points in 3X3) and heaved a game winning attempt which unfortunately just missed.
That loss meant we were playing off for 7th – 8th place against Rotorua Development A who had topped Pool B. This was the final game of the tournament for both teams and fatigue had well and truly set in. The game was dominated by defense and aggressive rebounding which led to foul trouble for both teams. Our boys had a comfortable 10-6 lead with a few minutes remaining. However, Rotorua went on a 6-0 run to put us under pressure in the final seconds of the game. The boys had possession of the ball with 2 seconds remaining (down 10 – 12). Thomas Wood made a valiant attempt to send the game into overtime but his long range 2 pointer bounced off the hoop to signal full time and an 8th place finish.
These boys have been working hard toward this tournament, training 4 – 5 days (2 – 3 mornings) per week since January. Their final placing of 8th was an excellent reward. The team went away feeling as
though they could have done better but the lessons they learned and the experience they gained will be valuable when they re-join our school’s Premier/U19 team for the upcoming Open A season in the Counties Manukau Zone. It only gets better from here.
Mr Jason Crummer (Director of Sport)
