Tauranga basketball players are celebrating following their second-place win in the inaugural TUPU League Women’s Finals held from June 21-23.

Tauranga Basketball general manager Mark Rogers says it’s the first time the national competition has been held, and the first time being hosted by Tauranga Basketball, with the games played at the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre.

“Each region in the country is allocated a certain number of spots and each region has their own qualifying process,” says Mark.

Tauranga Coasters qualified for the local zone which is made up of Bay of Plenty, Waikato, King Country and Thames Valley.

“There’s no automatic entry for hosts so we were hopeful we could make it as it’s great to showcase our players in our own cities,” says Mark.

There were 12 teams competing in the 2024 TUPU League Women’s Finals – Counties-Manukau Lady Hawks, Waikato Wizards, Northland Phoenix, Auckland Dream, Taranaki Thunder, Southland Storm, Tauranga City Coasters, Harbour Breeze, Pure Athletic Wellington/Porirua, Canterbury Wildcats, Gisborne and Franklin.

TUPU League was created by Basketball New Zealand as a new competition for 2024, specifically to provide a competitive option for those athletes who miss out on the higher-tier leagues; helping to bridge a gap which is currently seeing some basketballers hang up their boots due to a lack of opportunities.

“TUPU League Women’s League aims to provide a competition that encourages representative players to continue playing for their local associations after they finish school or university, encouraging participation in the gap between U20 / age group reps and Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa,” says Basketball New Zealand CEO Dillon Boucher.

“With a focus on participation - and providing a safe place for Kiwi athletes with a competitive edge who want to continue playing – we believe that TUPU League is an important addition to the pathway options for today’s basketball athletes in Aotearoa.”

Coasters Briarley Rogers making a power move. Photo: Supplied.

Mark says the Tauranga Coasters played extremely well over the weekend.

“On the road to the finals they beat Wellington, Waikato and Canterbury which are three of the powerhouses of women’s basketball,” says Mark.

Mark says in the draw for the tournament there were four pools of teams playing each other, with the top team from each pool making it into the quarter-finals. Tauranga Coasters had to play North Harbour’s Breeze twice.

“Our Tauranga Coasters had the toughest road, having to play an extra game,” says Mark.

“They lost by seven points in the pool game to North Harbour, with final score 80-73.”

Tauranga Coasters then went on to win silver in the grand final, losing to Harbour Breeze 95-89, a loss this time of six points. Auckland Dream won third place.

Coasters Anika Hyland shooting. Photo: Supplied.

The Tauranga Coasters team is made up of 11 local Tauranga athletes - Anika Hyland, Briarley Rogers, Cairyn-Marie Rogers, Chelseah Savage, Emma Rogers, Kaitlyn Morrell, Laura Kuka, Maia Kahura, Mariana Monga, Oceanna Preston and Sophie Rogers.

On the weekend, Briarley and Anika made the Tournament All Star 5.

Mark says they pushed hard to get the national finals held in Tauranga.

“Hopefully this will put us in good stead to host again for the future,” says Mark.

“We see the TUPU League as a very important part of the pathway for players wishing to represent their associations and to be able to continue playing at a high-level post high school.”

Dillon hopes that all the participants at the weekend event - whether they were an athlete, referee, scoreboard official or one of the many volunteers helping to make the event happen – enjoyed the experience as part of the first TUPU League Women’s Finals to be held.

“We hope this is the first of many TUPU League women’s tournaments to be held in this country,” says Dillon.

The men’s finals will be held in Dunedin from November 14-16.

The Coasters. Photo: Supplied.

Final scores for Tauranga Coasters:

Tauranga Coasters 89-74 Pure Athletic Wellington / Porirua

Tauranga Coasters 73-80 Harbour Breeze

Tauranga Coasters 95-49 Gisborne Basketball Association

Tauranga Coasters 85-74 Waikato Wizards (Quarter Final)

Tauranga Coasters 86-76 Canterbury Wildcats (Semi Final)

Tauranga Coasters 89-95 Harbour Breeze (Grand Final)

To learn more about Tauranga City Basketball go to Tauranga City Basketball.