Wairarapa College making big impact

Wairarapa College are through to the semi-finals in the premier league of the Manawatu secondary schoolboys basketball competition.
They secured first place in their pool with a convincing 73-54 victory over St Peter's College last Friday.
As in their previous match against St Peter's the Wairarapa College team benefitted from a strong start which saw them get out to a commanding 18-2 lead.
St Peter's struggled to cope with the pressing defence and speed of the Wairarapa College guards, but after a time out they lifted their effort several notches, scoring a number of easy baskets as a result of sustained pressure on defence and sharp shooting.
By the end of the first quarter St Peter's had reduced the lead to 20-13 and were in with a winning chance.
The second quarter saw Joel Ryland enter the action to make a couple of baskets for Wairarapa College, and Steven Ashby and Jacob Carson also combined impressively on attack.
However, the defence was still a problem and St Peter's were continuing to score at will.
Coach Jane Thackray called a second time out and appealed to the Wairarapa College players to step up their defensive work and raise their intensity.
It was a request to which they responded well with Sebastian and Corey McFadzean both making steals, and Corey McFadzean and Joe Beech converting scoring chances into points on the board. Ryland and Carson also helped boost the Wairarapa College tally and while St Peter's led at the halftime break it was only by the one goal, 32 to 31.
The emphasis for Wairarapa Collge in the third quarter was to maintain pressure on the St Peter's shooters with the idea of forcing them into mistakes, and it was a tactic which worked well. Lachie McFadzean and Wiremu Grace were quick to pick up any defensive rebounds and with the youngsters in the squad relishing the opportunity to show their skills Wairarapa College took control.
Grace, especially, was in good shooting form, driving inside to score 10 points in a row, and by the end of the quarter Wairarapa College had raced out to a 19 point advantage, 57 to 38.
The fourth quarter saw Wairarapa College rest their starting five on the bench, but their effort did not diminish with Ryan McKenna and Scott Topham excelling in centre court, Pat Topham and Corey McFadsean running the lanes impressively and Joe Beech distributing well from point guard.
Unlike in the second quarter the Wairarapa College players worked hard to retrieve possession lost in turnover situations, none more so than Corey McFadzean who made several steals, and the side finished with a deserved 73-54 advantage. .
Coach Thackray said the big lesson from the game for Wairarapa College leading into the semis was the importance of defence.
"Once we got that right and stuck to our game plan everything went well," she said.