Lincoln secured top spot after winning a nail-biter against the previously unbeaten Kereru A side in the 11th and final round action at Bishopdale on Tuesday night.
Lincoln bounced back after the loss to third-placed University of Canterbury last week to win the highly anticipated clash 44-42.
Lincoln trailed early but a 15-8 second quarter dragged them back into contention before they held their nerve down the stretch.
Kia Toa rounded out the top four by beating Technical A 42-37. Their best win of the season was based on dominating Technical 12-6 in the opening quarter and 8-2 early in the second.
Technical regrouped after a sluggish start but Kia Toa managed to keep last year’s beaten finalists at bay to lead throughout.
Radha Petero was the stand out shooter, nailing 35 from 43 attempts.
UC consolidated their win over Lincoln University last week with a 14-goal victory over Kereru B 56-42.
Maia Hill continues to shoot at high volume for UC and is well supported by Tiuana-Maria Aiono.
Saints were also too strong for Technical B 69-23, with Gemma Etheredge and Grace Jones sharing much of the shooting load for the winners.
St Nicholas started strongly and were too good for Christchurch Girls' High School, 71-28. And in another high scoring result St Margaret’s A defeated fellow schoolgirl side Villa Maria by the same scoreline.
St Margaret’s have been very competitive against the top sides and will be looking to take this form into the five games they will now play in the premier 2 competition.
This week's results shaped the teams allocated to premier 1 and premier 2 as the season heads into the final phase of competition and finals.
The premier 1 grade consists of Lincoln University A, UC A, Kereru A, Technical A, Kia Toa A, and Saints A.
Premier 2 comprises St Nicholas A, Technical B, Kereru B, St Margaret’s A, CGHS A and one team promoted from the senior 1 grade after Saturday’s games.
The promoted team replaces Villa Maria who lost all 11 games before finishing with a -621 goal differential.
Results:
- St Nicholas A 71 (C Glue 21/33, N Miekle 19/26, G Nicholls 31/34) def CGHS A 28 (M Smith 19/22, L Frame 9/16). Qtrs: 20-5, 37-14, 55-20, 71-28.
- UC A 56 (M Hill 37/44, T Aiono 16/21, K Fleming 2/3, T Rollo 1/2) def Kereru B 42 (A Doig 27/29, F Sutherland 14/24, K Howden 1/3) Qtrs: 16-11, 33-20, 44-30, 56-42.
- Lincoln University A 44 (K Grant 18/36, T Placid 20/26, J Riordan 6/6) Kereru A 42 (S Adams 10/12, L Clark 32/42). Qtrs: 10-14. 25-22, 34-29, 44-42.
- St Margaret's A 71 (T Hassan 44/49, I Brown 27/28) def Villa Maria A 28 (R Bradbrook 9/11, B Wright 12/21, P Glass 7/16). Qtrs: 16-8, 34-15, 50-23, 71-28.
- Kia Toa A 42 (R Petero 35/43, M Ruki 4/7, M Wyma 3/5) def Technical A 37 (L Pale 13/21, J Allan 6/9, K Ralph 18/25). Qtrs: 12-6, 22-16, 33-26, 42-37.
- Saints A 69 (G Etheredge 30/38, G Jones 29/46, A Priest 10/13) Technical B 23 (C Corbett 9/13, M Hosking-Marino 9/13, K Huata-Chapman 5/9). Qtrs: 15-8, 35-14, 53-19, 69-23.
