2 October, 2025

Four-some! Westlake aces basketball nationals again

One, two, three, four: Victories see WGHS ballers soar

Count them… Westlake Girls High School’s premier basketball team and coaches celebrate a fourth New Zealand secondary schools title in a row, after the final in Palmerston North last weekend.

An unbeaten tournament run took Westlake Girls High School to its fourth national secondary school basketball title in a row last Saturday.
The premier side was dominant in defeating Hamilton Girls by 30 points in the final, played after a week of school holiday competition in Palmerston North.
A testing semi-final against Tauranga Girls, which Westlake edged 94-88, set up the storybook final. Sahara Katene scored 32 points in the semi.
The team, coached by Bronwen Davidson, assisted by Nela Fotu, surged to a 39-16 lead in the first quarter. It steadily extended its lead each quarter as the game progressed, ending with a 102-72 victory.
Westlake, the top seed, becomes only the third school to win four titles in a row. The others were Church College and Mairehau High School some years back..

Golden girls… Westlake’s national title winning basketball team with their trophy won last Saturday. They are: front row (from left): Sahara Katene, Charlotte Mawston, Lily Fotu, Emma-Kaye Schroeder, Brydie McMillan and Lucy Dawson. Back row: Katie Moors, Lauren Williams, Riley Sina’au, Mia John, Imani Rasmussen and Shyloh Udomsak.

Outstanding efforts on court were recognised at the prizegiving, with co-captain Emma-Kaye Schroeder named Most Valued Player of the Tournament. She was also named in the Top 5 All Star tournament team, along with fellow guard Katene. Katie Moors, a Year 11 student, was selected as Defensive Player of the Tournament, indicating the pipeline of talent the school can call on in years to come.
The school’s director of sport, April Ieremia, said the team’s remarkable achievements reflected its dedication, discipline and excellence across the season. Before heading to nationals, it won the Auckland regular-season championship and then was unbeaten in the regional zone qualifier.
In the national final, both Schroeder and Katene shot 23 points each and Lily Fotu added 14 more in their outstanding games. Other strong contributions came from Imani Rasmussen, who shot 15 points and took 10 rebounds, with Moors adding 8 points and 18 rebounds.
Three of the team: Imani, Katie and Lily, are at the netball secondary school nationals this week.

In action… is the tournament MVP Emma-Kaye Schroeder.

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