There are some mouth-watering matchups in semi-final week of the Elite League playoffs. In a repeat of the 2019 Grand Final; Kings vs Akina match up in a semi-final which could go either way. Texans will face Josh Anderson, Ravi Mani and their Toro Atu side; while Shannon Mitchell, Kath Nahora and their Heretaunga team will face the competition’s leading scorer Zoe Ebbitt and her Ahuriri Flyers outfit in the second women’s semi-final.

Men’s SF1: #1 Texans vs #4 Toro Atu
Texans have been the presumptive favourite all the competition featuring an impressive roster, but Toro Atu won’t be intimidated. 2019’s bronze medalists Toro Atu feature sharp-shooting forward Joshua Anderson along with captain Ravi Mani who can score in a variety of ways. Toro Atu have forwards on the inside and shooters on the outside; and if they get going this game could become very close. Toro Atu will need to figure out how to stop the multiple scoring threats that Texans present. Alonzo Burton transferred from Toro Atu to Texans in the off-season and will be the #1 target for Toro Atu to shut down. Ben Hill & Jacob Murphy have been consistently spectacular from the 3pt line all competition long and will also need attention; while Carl Nicholson will be a threat on the inside for Texans.

Men’s SF2: #2 Stirling Sports Kings vs #3 Akina
These teams are developing a rivalry with Stirling Sports Kings taking key single-digit victories the last two times these teams played. In 2019 it was Akina taking a 105-92 regular season victory over Kings with Kareem Johnson (Kings) & Reece Tuala-Fata (Akina) both notching 30pt games for their sides. This game serves as a re-match of the 2019 Grand Final which went to overtime before Kings emerged victorious 85-80 with Kareem Johnson netting 40 points in the grand final. These teams have met in the 2020 regular season with Kings taking an 85-81 win in an almost exact repeat of the 2019 grand final score. Dom McGovan had 35 and Kareem Johnson had 23 for Kings in their round 1 matchup; while Sheldon Mataira had 23 points for Akina.

The matchup between these two teams is always intense with 2019 MVP Kareem Johnson going up against Geoff Heather and Akina’s interior defence. Kings feature a slew of shooting threats in Dom McGovan, Daniel Christensen and Darryl Jones which makes them exceptionally difficult to defend. Akina have played together for a number of years and put together some excellent series of drive and kick where they can hit shooters like Devante Miller or hit cutters for layups. Sheldon Mataira, Reece Tuala-Fata and Jacob Nahora are the teams leading scorers who will look to push the pace in transition hoping to take advantage of a perceived lack of depth in the Kings lineup.

Women’s SF2: Heretaunga vs Ahuriri Flyers
Heretaunga grabbed the #1 seed heading into the playoffs, but it was Ahuriri Flyers who took the regular season round robin victory in round five in a tightly contested 82-75 where Zoe Ebbitt’s 32 points for Ahuriri made the difference. Kaya Lord and the Flyers interior defence will have their hands full with a Heretaunga team that loves to use their depth to find a post mis-match for easy interior scorers. Shannon Mitchell & Kath Nahora have emerged as key scoring threats for Heretaunga. Meanwhile, Ahuriri love to push the pace with Zoe Ebbitt surrounded by shooting threats Mahia Isherwood and Sarah Winnie. It a game of contrasting styles, this one could go either way with the victor booking their grand final place against defending champions Napier GHS.

Women’s 4-5 Playoff: Hastings GHS vs Bridge Pa
These teams match up well on paper and play similar styles; so it could be a battle of which teams star players shine in this one. On the inside Destiny Smiler & Kat Brown (Bridge Pa) go up against Peta Heather & Jannali Johnson (Hastings GHS) while point guard stars Storey Sadler & Pahlyss Hokianga (Bridge Pa) will have an exciting matchup against their older counterparts Raedeen Blake & Kahlia Awa (Hastings GHS). Each team has shooting threats with Sequoia Sadler & Charlotte Tuliau for Bridge Pa and Renee Karaitiana & Passion Te Amo for Hastings GHS proving be to excellent marksman for behind the arc in this competition. Hastings GHS took the regular season win 91-80 on the back of PG Raedeen Blake & Centre Jannali Johnson both getting 26 points. Last time it was the stars of Hastings GHS shining – and that will be what it takes to get a win in this one. The loser will be cosigned to 5^th place while the winner will play in the Bronze Medal game next week against the loser of the Heretaunga v Ahuriri game.

Men’s 5-8 SF1: Napier BHS vs Blazers
The inexperienced Blazers team is the only side in the Men’s competition yet to get a victory but their improvement in each game shows that this may just be a matter of time. Napier BHS has been incredibly inconsistent in this competition, dominating some quarters against top sides but also having quarters where they struggle mightily. If Napier BHS are healthy and injury-free, they will be considered favourites in this one as Clifton Bush III & Tommy Fergusson look to dominate both the inside and the outside on both ends of the floor. Lei Sau, Sam Cunningham & Travis Wright will look to lock down the interior to force Napier BHS to shoot 3s while the likes of Nick Jones & Cairo Kotuhi will be tasked with limited those 3 point attempts that Napier BHS will have no problem shooting as the whole team can shoot the ball from the outside.

Men’s 5-8 SF2: Hastings BHS vs St John’s College
These teams have played twice this year, with Hastings BHS grabbing wins on both occasions but a shorthanded St John’s made it close in the last game. Guards Lochie Stent & Sam Start have been in spectacular form in recent times and will look for support from the likes of Hawke’s Bay reps Eli McGovan & Braxton Payne. Hastings BHS have been led by the trio of Denim Tuala-Fata, Tzar Smiler Jr and La’mour Spooner. St John’s will need to shut down the interior scoring options for Hastings, especially Tuala-Fata who scored 38 points in his last game of the competition; while both teams will look to gain 3pt superiority in this one.