The Dunedin school, which finished ninth last year, needed extra time to beat Southland Girls’ High School in the semifinal of the South Island Secondary Schools tournament in Nelson yesterday morning.
The team barely had time to settle any nerves before its tense final against Marlborough Girls’ College in the afternoon.
St Hilda’s held a useful buffer but that disappeared and so did the lead before the team was able to regain its composure and seal a dramatic 38-37 win.
"Oh my God, it was pretty full on," coach Lana Morrison said when asked about the final moments.
"We had a semi that went to extra time this morning. That just seem to go on forever and to back it up in the final was just awesome."
The score in the semifinal was locked at 35 apiece but St Hilda’s eventually cleared out to win by the required two goals with the score at 42-40.
St Hilda’s fortunes fluctuated in the final and it was tense watching from the sidelines, Morrison said.
"We had a little buffer there for a while. It was not a big buffer but they climbed back into the game. For us it was a do-or-die effort at the end."
Twins Georgia Heffernan (goal shoot) and Kate Heffernan (centre) had a big impact for St Hilda’s, Georgia making some critical shots and Kate, who captains the side, having a strong game in the midcourt.
They were both named in the tournament team, along with circle defender Mariah Nelson.
"But I thought it was a bit of a team effort, to be honest," Morrison said.
St Hilda’s next assignment is at the national tournament which is being held in Lower Hutt in the first week of October.
