Former Silver Fern Daneka Wipiiti has put her netball career on hold but her basketball career could be just about to take off.
The 1.94m centre played a starring role for the Otago Goldrush, helping her side to a convincing 72-57 win against the Nelson Sparks in the final of the Women's Basketball Championships (WBC) at the Edgar Centre on Saturday.
Better known for her work in the shooting circle for the Steel, Wipiiti produced a dominant performance in the final with a haul of 21 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and a steal.
She used her height advantage to pull in rebound after rebound and was deadly from the free throw line, drilling seven from eight attempts.
Wipiiti had plenty of support from captain Casey Lockwood, who grabbed seven boards and scored 19 points.
The undersized Sparks were powerless to keep the pair off the boards and had to rely on their outside shooting to remain in the game. Jelena Vucinic, daughter of Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic, top-scored with 18 points, and Summer Roberts gave momentum with a second-half scoring spree of 10 points.
The Sparks rallied in the third quarter and closed to within six points, but a determined effort from Samara Gallaher got Otago back on track. She made four quick steals in the fourth period and her side cleared out to win by 15 points.
Fittingly, Wipiiti completed the win with a gentle lay-up in the dying seconds.
There is a world of difference between the pressure cooker of international netball and playing in the WBC in front of mostly family and friends.
"It is totally different," Wipiiti said. "You can't compare them, really. It is just so relaxed here. We came into the game relaxed; we knew we could win it.
"The girls are just great ballers and I'm just lucky the door opened for me and allowed me to come in and be part of it.
"It has been amazing to be part of this and I'm loving playing basketball and doing something a little bit different."
Wipiiti said she had made herself unavailable for the Silver Ferns and was weighing up whether she would play in the ANZ Championship next year.
"I'm pretty much just cruising at the moment. I've turned down Ferns at the moment to concentrate on being a mum."
Her partner, Joe Tuineau, is in the Tongan squad for the Rugby World Cup and the couple will not make any decisions until after the tournament.
Otago point guard Soraya Umaga-Jensen finished the championships strongly with a good performance in the final and Suzie Bates and Danielle Calnan were excellent all tournament. Bates top-scored in the semi with 18 points and Calnan kept finding ways to contribute. Former Silver Fern Jodi Brown rebounded strongly when she was on the court and also made some lovely passes.
Nelson reached the final with a 60-56 win over the Hutt Valley Flyers and Otago beat the Harbour Breeze 82-63.
In the plate final, the Waikato Wizards beat the New Zealand Force Academy 79-66. The Canterbury Wildcats beat the Palmerston North Storm 60-50 for seventh and the Taranaki Trojans beat the Southland Pearls 51-42 in the playoff for ninth.
THE SCORES
Women's basketball
• Otago Goldrush 72
Daneka Wipiiti 21, Casey Lockwood 19Nelson
• Sparks 57
Jelena Vucinic 18, Summer Roberts 10
• Quarter 29-17, halftime 38-25, third quarter 51-45
