St Andrew’s College win their first National Championship and Westlake Boy’s their sixth.
St Andrew’s College were crowned the 2026 Girl’s ‘AA’ Secondary Schools National Champions at Fly Palmy Arena, Palmerston North after beating Mt Maunganui College 100-75 in an up tempo fascinating contest.
So often the bridesmaids – runners-up three times in the last four years –St Andrews were finally able to enjoy the spotlight as they clinched their inaugural title and become the first Girls South Island AA champions since Christchurch Girls High School in 2013.
A 25-point victory gives the impression of a one-sided contest but the scoreline doesn’t do justice to the contribution Mt Maunganui made to the contest with St Andrew’s only pulling clear in the final quarter.
There were outstanding individual performances on both sides.
Ava Jones, headed to Santa Clara University in a couple of months, tallied 29 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists while Emelia Ainley dominated the paint with 17 rebounds and 28 points. Point guard Eva Jeffries posted 4 assists, 4 steals and 18 points and Maiyah Lavea-Martin was also in double figures with 15 points.
As expected the Broughton twins were the leading lights for Mt Maunganui.
Charis produced 28 points, 11 rebounds and 5 steals with Shamar adding 25 points (4 from 9 threes), 13 rebounds and 8 assists.
In addition there were valuable contributions from Aaliyah Hill (10 points) and Mila-Riann Soutar (6 points).
Eva and Ava got the Cantabrians off to a strong start as they forged a 27-18 opening quarter lead despite four triples from Charis B.
StAC had been dominant throughout the tournament with only Westlake Girls (beaten 90-66) in the semi-final getting within 40 points of the South Island champions although that dominance didn’t faze the Mount.
Back they stormed in the second quarter, a Hill basket giving the Mount there first lead of the game (37-36).
Jones and Ainley replied for StAC before three-point plays from Charis B and Soutar carried the Mount to a 47-43 half-time lead.
StAC went to the inside strength of Ainley early in the third and it immediately paid dividends as the centre scored 8 points to restore the lead. With Jones then providing further scoring punch the South Island champions began to take control
Lavea-Martin put StAC 74-54 ahead but the Mount weren’t finished as Hill landed a triple and when Shamer B landed a Hail-Mary from the half-way line they were back in business trailing 81-67 with a quarter to play.
The pace, understandably, dropped in the early stages of the fourth and although Charis B got the score rolling for the Mount it was Jeffries, Jones and Ainley making the plays in the fourth as StAC put the seal on a deserved win and an outstanding tournament.
Spare a thought for Mt Maunganui. To make the final, given starters Riley McClenaghan and Issy Gillard were absent due to international commitments with New Zealand at the U18 Asia Cup in Malaysia, was a heck of an achievement.
Result:
St Andrew’s College 100 – Ava Jones 29pts, 13rebs & 7asts, Emelia Ainley 28pts, 17rebs & 3blks, Eva Jeffries 18pts & 4stls, Maiyah Lavea-Martin 15pts, Manaiah Taefu 6pts & 9rebs
Mt Maunganui College 75 – Charis Broughton 28pts, 11rebs & 5stls, Shamar Broughton 25pts, 13rebs, 8asts, Aaliyah Hill 10pts, Mila-Riann Soutar 6pts, Mārika-Āhere Te Whata 3pts & 7rebs
Grand Final Officials: Kathleen Anderson and Curtis Norton
3rd/4th Play-off
Westlake Girls High School 77 – Imani Rasmussen 25pts, Lauren Williams 9pts, Cora Rodgers-Savea 9pts, Honor Coates 8pts
Hamilton Girls High School 49 – Aotea Nordstrom 13pts, Waitohi Burgess 9pts, Laihona Nin 9pts, Kharrington Kershaw-Ryan 7pts
Girls All-Star Five:
Ava Jones – (St Andrew’s College)
Charis Broughton (Mt Maunganui College)
Katie Moors (Westlake Girls High School)
Emilia Ainley (St Andrew’s College)
Aotea Nordstrom (Hamilton Girls High School)
Foot Locker Defensive Player of the Tournament:
Eva Jeffries (St Andrew’s College)
Tournament MVP:
Ava Jones (St Andrew’s College)
The C.A. Clarke and Stone Trophy is presented annually to the Secondary Schools Girls’ Champions and was first awarded to Waimea College in 1969, played in Rotorua.
The final was played between the South Island winners Waimea College and Western Heights College; final score 31-26. The result was documented in the minutes of a N.Z. Women’s Indoor Basketball Association Inc executive meeting, held on Monday, 1 September 1969.
The trophy is steeped in tradition as the donors (C.A. Clarke and Stone Ltd) were at the time producing aerated water and cordial, and had been doing so since 1883. It is believed that it was the only cordial factory in the world operating on geothermal steam. The factory was on Tutanekai Street in Rotorua, now the site of the Novotel Hotel.
Boy’s Final
In an all Auckland affair Westlake Boys High School beat Auckland Grammar School 92-80 in the 2026 Boy’s ‘AA’ Secondary Schools National Championship Grand Final. Having met in the bronze medal game twelve months earlier the two teams went a stage further this time with Westlake prevailing for a second straight year in a tense and exciting championship game.
For Westlake it is a sixth National Championship, last getting their hands on the Doug Harford Memorial Trophy in 2013, while for Auckland Grammar it is a third second place finish in four Grand Final appearances – there only championship back in 1979.
There were significant, quality performances on both sides with the Wilson brothers setting the tone for Westlake with 22 points apiece. Harper added 10 rebounds with Lincoln snaring 7 rebounds and 4 steals.
Daley Pohio had a double of 20 points and 8 assists and Zach Guy pulled down 10 boards to go with 7 points. Noah Duncan also had 7 points and Jack Pauga 12 points.
For Auckland Grammar Taye Thomson impressed with a game high 25 points along with 6 rebounds and 8 assists, Kaden Papera had 16 and 8, Lawson Pryor 12 and 7, Kaea Wharemate posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds while Akardy Wanoa made a handy 8 points.
An even opening quarter (22-22) saw eight point contributions from Thomson for Grammar and the Wilsons’ for Westlake.
Thomson was the first player into double figures when he made his third triple early in the second period although it was another evenly contested spell.
Papera and Curteis combined for a dozen points for Auckland in the quarter with the Wilson duo matching that number – a driving layup from Harper, on the stroke of half-time, giving Westlake a slender 42-41 lead at the interval.
The two teams swapped the lead eight times early in the fourth but after a couple of Wharemate scores Pauga and Poiho made back to back threes to give Westlake a 58-53 lead.
Another Pauga triple made it an eight-point Westlake lead although Pryor trimmed that to 68-63 at the three-quarter mark.
Harper Wilson added to a brace of Guy baskets to give Westlake a double figure lead (76-65) although Grammar struck back immediately with back-to-back scores from Wharemate and with Thomson making a jumper it was a six-point (77-71) ball game with five minutes to play.
As the clock counted down and the tension mounted both sides missed scoring opportunities before Poiho restored Westlake’s 10-point advantage with 3:16 to play.
Pauga then made it a 12-point lead and although the outstanding Thomson came up with a reply Westlake held firm to complete an unbeaten season and add a National Championship to Auckland and Zone 1 Premiership titles.
For Grammar it continues a remarkable run of finishing in the top ten at Nationals in every year since 2010!
Westlake Boys High School 90 – Harper Wilson 22pts & 10rebs, Lincoln Wilson 22pts, 7rebs & 4stls, Daley Pohio 20pts & 8asts, Jack Pauga 12pts, Noah Duncan 7pts, Zach Guy 7pts & 10rebs
Auckland Grammar School 82 – Taye Thomson 25pts, 6rebs & 8asts, Kaden Papera 16pts & 8rebs, Lawson Pryor 12pts & 7rebs, Kaea Wharemate 11pts & 10rebs, Akardy Wanoa 8pts
Grand Final Officials: Balint Molnar and Zyon-Syklar Pinamonti
3rd/4th Play-off
Napier Boys High School 75 – Kees Ball 22pts, Max Tran 18pts, Eddie Deck 15pts, Prys Edwards 10pts
Mt Maunganui College 78 – Cole Hopoi 18pts, Josh Kelly 15pts, Tamarua Ferguson 14pts, Flynn Rapson 12pts, Ryder Morgan 11pts
Boy’s All-Star Five:
Lawson Pryor (Auckland Grammar School)
Daley Pohio (Westlake Boys’ High School)
Harper Wilson (Westlake Boys’ High School)
Cole Hopoi (Mount Maunganui College)
Kees Ball (Napier Boys High Schooll)
Foot Locker Defensive Player of the Tournament:
Kaea Wharemate (Auckland Grammar School)
Boy’s Tournament MVP:
Harper Wilson (Westlake Boys High Schoold
The inaugural New Zealand National Schoolboys’ Tournament was played in 1968. The tournament consisted of the top four teams from across New Zealand (Otago Boys’ High School, Mt Albert Grammar School, Nelson College and Tokoroa High School). They assembled in Palmerston North to play for the Doug Harford Memorial Trophy.
The Doug Harford Memorial Trophy is presented in memory of the former New Zealand player who was tragically killed in a car accident in 1967. Harford was in his prime at the time of his passing having represented New Zealand the previous year.
Harford represented Nelson and the South Island until 1962 when he moved to Wellington and went on to represent Wellington and the North Island teams. He was a recipient of the Keith Carr Trophy for Outstanding Guard at the 1962 Senior National Championships and debuted for New Zealand the following year.
The trophy was purchased from funds kindly donated by the Harford family.
