Quarter Final match is today's 'must watch' game at the Schick Championships

New Zealands secondary school basketball nationals, the Schick Championships, is heating up with a day of Grand Finals for the A competition and Quarter Finals for the AA competition.

The must watch match of the day is last years AA Grand Finalists, Palmerston North Boys High School and Rangitoto College, who will meet in a Quarter Final today. This comes after surprising upset last night, with Auckland Grammar School beating Rangitoto in pool play, 74 to 72. Rangitoto will be hurting after that match, but Palmerston North Boys High School were lucky to finish their pool unbeaten. They looked a little shaky against Christs College when the Cantabrians were leading 47-45 with 90 seconds to play in last nights game. But Palmy Boys held their nerve to pull back in the final moments, winning that game 50-47.

Of course in the 2016 Grand Final, it didnt go so well for the young men from Manawatu, many of who are back in this years 2017 team. Rangitoto College famously clinched the 2016 title with a deep buzzer-beating three from Cameron Stone, the son of Rangitotos Head Coach Kenny Stone. It was an unforgettable game for both teams and those memories will be fuelling Palmy Boys, who will be seeking atonement. They will also have a hometown advantage again in todays match up. This game will be livestreamed at 2:15pm on www.maoritelevision.com

In the smaller schools A competition, Hillmorton High School could be the tournaments crowd favourite having come from last place in 2016, to making their way to the Grand Final undefeated in 2017. The Grand Finals in this competition are traditional tightly fought matches and are bound to entertain - both will be livestreamed on www.maoritelevision.com

Schick Championships - Central Energy Trusts Area in Palmerston North - games for Thursday, 5 October

Grand Finals of the 'A' Competition

5:00pm. A Girls Grand Final: Manukura (W SF1) V Opunake High School (W SF2). Arena 2 - Will be livestream on www.maoritelevision.com.

6:45pm. A Boys Grand Final: Hillmorton High School (W SF1) V Stratford High School (W SF2). Arena 2 - Will be livestream on www.maoritelevision.com.

Quarter Finals of the 'AA' Competition

12:30pm. St Peter's School, Cambridge (1st Pool A) V Westlake Girls' High School (2nd Pool C). Arena 2 - Will be livestream on www.maoritelevision.com.

12:30pm. Rosmini College (1st Pool A) V Rongotai College (2nd Pool C) (AA Boys QF1). Court 5.

12:30pm. St Mary's College (1st Pool C) V Hutt Valley (2nd Pool A) (AA Girls QF3). Court 6.

12:30pm. Westlake Boys High School (1st Pool C) V Mt Albert Grammar (2nd Pool A), Court 8.

2:15pm. Palmerston North Boys' High School (1st Pool B) V Rangitoto College (2nd Pool D) (AA Boys QF2). Arena 2 - Will be livestream on www.maoritelevision.com.

2:15pm. Auckland Grammar School (1st Pool D) V Christ's College (2nd Pool B) (AA Boys QF4). Court 5.

2:15pm. Mt Albert Grammar (1st Pool D) V Auckland Girls Grammar (2nd Pool B). Court 6.

2:15pm. Hamilton Girls' High School (1st Pool B) V Melville High School (2nd Pool D), Court 8.

- The A tournament is for schools that have a roll of less than 600 pupils for co-ed schools or less than 300 for single sex schools. The AA tournament is for schools with school roles over those figures.

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Basketball New Zealand