For the first time in memory, Hutt Valley High School's senior girls' basketball team has won the national secondary schools tournament.
The win in Palmerston North capped off an undefeated season, and for outgoing captain Milomilo Nanai, it was the perfect swansong. I'm pretty gutted to be leaving but very happy about the time I've spent here. The year 13 student, who was named in the tournament team and its most valuable player, says the final was nerve-racking with "nothing to lose and everything to lose.
Behind until the last quarter, the team came back to win , with Milomilo scoring 26 points. The bubbly year-old wants to win a sports scholarship to an American university, studying law or mathematics while developing her basketball skills. I want to go much further. Milomilo's leadership and ball skills will be a loss to the team, says coach Brian Yee. However, with four year 12s, three year 11s and two year 10s in the team, Mr Yee is confident.
Mr Yee is proud of the makeup of the team. They are born out of the Hutt Valley basketball system. We haven't gone scouting for good players from other regions. He says other school teams are mostly made up of players who attend to be part of the specialised sports academy. He believes the girls might be the best sports team of the year. Hutt Valley High basketballers grab first NZ girls' title in memory.
