Trident Basketball teams finished the season on a high with excellent results all round. They won all 4 grades in the EBOP competition and won medals in 3 grades of the Tauranga competition with 1 grade to go.
After a month off the court due to lockdown, the teams headed into finals in the Tauranga competition and Senior finals in the EBOP competition.
The Junior girls coached by Jordan Karaitiana, were undefeated in the EBOP competition. They played the consistently strong Te Kura Kokiri girls in the final. In a hard fought game by both teams, Trident led early but TKK managed to get a 6 point lead in the 4th quarter. Trident dug deep to come back for the win 63-58.
The girls also did well in the Tauranga competition. They had mixed results in pool play winning some games by big margins and losing tougher games to teams like Rotorua Girls High and Tauranga Girls. Having lost to Tauranga girls previously, Trident had a hard task ahead of them. With Level 2 restrictions in place, no spectators were allowed but we were grateful to Tauranga Basketball Assoc. for livestreaming all finals. Trident put up a solid effort but couldn’t match the experience of their opposition. We are all very proud of the girls and commend them on winning gold in EBOP and silver in Tauranga.
In the Junior boys grade of the EBOP competition, Te Ahuroa Cossey’s A team went through undefeated. With thanks to senior players, Brad Sparrow and Cy Coldiron Trident were able to field another team, Junior boys blue. Trident blue had mixed results in pool play but did well to make the semi finals against Opotiki College. Trident came away with a 39-24 win to set up an all Trident final.
In their previous encounter, Trident Junior blue put up a great effort against the Junior boys A team. However, at finals time the A team switched up executing their plays well to take the win comfortably. Gold and Silver in the EBOP Junior boys grade is a great result for both teams and their coaches. A big thank you to managers Steve Loft and Julie Reihana.
In the Tauranga competition, Trident Junior A boys did well in pool play to rank number 1 in their pool. Unfortunately, they were unable to gain the win in the quarterfinals to Bethlehem College which knocked them out of contention.
Trident Senior girls ended their season strong with a good win over Opotiki College in the EBOP finals. Always strong opponents, Opotiki played well to keep the score line even at the start. Tridents team play was their strength in the end which led to a good win.
Going into playoffs in the Tauranga competition, the Senior girls were ranked 3rd. They met Mount College girls in the semis going down by 6 points. With determination to finish well, the girls dug deep to beat Te Puke HS to win bronze. Thanks to manager Tui Hanlen and coach Jared Davis for your work this season.
The Senior boys Blue team coached by Julie Farrell also had a great season. For various reasons they lost players along the way but managed to keep a good core team together. Ranked 5th at quarter finals, they beat WHS Black in a close game. They then had the tough task of playing WHS gold in the semis with WHS going on to win.
In the Tauranga competition the Senior blue team did well to gain some wins with big score lines in pool play. They won their semi final against Bethlehem College B team 96-51 then went on to win their final against Tauranga Boys College Legends 72-62. A great effort by the team to bring home the gold.
Trident Senior A boys met WHS Gold in the final of the EBOP competition. After lockdown and lots of comms to sort out a venue and date, the finals were set. With a change of Level 2 restrictions, some spectators were allowed in to watch. This was especially good for our Yr 13s parents to come and watch the last school game for their sons. The game was close and tense throughout. The teams traded leads in the first quarter, but Whakatane was able to pull ahead in the 2nd behind good three-point shooting and aggressive rebounding. They led by as many as 12 points before ending the half ahead by 48-37. Trident came back strong in the 3rd quarter, scoring 26 points to take a 63-58 lead. The defence took over in the 4th quarter only allowing Whakatane to score 11 points and never giving up the lead. Trident's balance (every player on the team scored) and fitness proved decisive and this was a great match to end the competition. Trident Senior Boys A winning 81-74 to take gold in the EBOP championship.
In the Senior Boys Prem grade in the Tauranga competition, Trident improved steadily throughout the season. Gaining wins against Mount College Red and Aquinas in the last 2 pool games placing Trident in 4th place. After a month off the court due to lockdown, the boys had the difficult task of taking on Mount College Grey in the semis. Trident gave it everything they had but it wasn’t enough to match MMC in the end. The boys have one game left playing Waihi College for the bronze medal next week.
Thanks to coaches Zavia Walker and Matua Mike Te Kurapa for guiding the team through the season.
Trident basketball would like to thank all of those that have supported us this year.
