The team returned from the Zespri Aims tournament held in Tauranga, winning seven out of eight games and coming in third. Their coach, former Silver Fern and Tall Fern Donna Wilkins, said the tournament was widely attended.
"There were ‘more participants than the Olympics’ is what we heard on opening night — just over 13,000 athletes in all different sports. Every sport you could think of," she said.
The team played a fast style, involving a lot of running.
This was key to their success, Wilkins said.
"We like to be fitter than other teams and push the ball up the courts. We run the lanes so if you happen to get passed the ball, you get lay-ups. We have girls who rebound, some who bring it up the court, and some who run fast," she said.
This style was a good fit for the team.
"We don’t have the size of other teams, so we thought that having better fitness would help us."
Wilkins said the decision to take a trip to the beach was the key factor down the stretch in the bronze-medal game.
"Our semifinal [which they lost to a Tauranga school] was a very physical game ... bit of an eye-opener as to how rough it can be.
" The next morning I decided to take them out to the beach and we drew a full-size basketball court on the sand, and used some seaweed as a ball, and taught them how to break a press.
"The last play of the game, we inbounded the ball and we [were] faced with a full-court press, and we broke it easily.
"It really helped. That won us the game — we won by one point," she said.
The side took the win over Kaiapoi North School 27-26.
This was Wilkins’ last time coaching St Peter’s.
Sports co-ordinator Rebecca Chittock said she was very grateful for all Wilkins had done for the school.
"The amount of work that Donna put in was remarkable, really.
"She’s been a fairly big pillar around here for the past five or six years, that’s for sure," she said."
