Photo: NZ Herald
Howick College emerged victorious in one of most dramatic endings a New Zealand Secondary Schools Netball Championship has ever seen. In a tense game that had it all, including last minute chaos and a sin-binning, Howick managed a 35-34 victory over Avondale College.
The two teams had met in other finals earlier in the season, in the Auckland Final and Upper North Island tournament, with Howick narrowly winning on both occasions. This national final followed suit and with two minutes lef to play, Howick had a one point lead before their captain Avah Sila was sent to the sin bin for dangerous play, a huge loss for the team in the closing stages.
Avondale immediately took advantage of the extra player and two quick scores saw them leading 34-33 with Howick's captain looking on in despair from the sideline. Howick did not give up and some great determination was shown as they managed to get themselves a point ahead of their opponents with a minute to go.
The final minute saw Howick trying their best to run out the game while Avondale desparately attempted to regain possession. With seconds to go, Avondale finally got the ball but a wayward pass ended the game and Howick could breathe a sigh of relief. Despite having one less player for the final two minutes, they had secured the win, completing an undefeated season and crowning them national champions.
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