THE AUSTRALIAN Sapphires continued their dynasty at the FIBA Women’s Under 17 Oceania Cup, with team winning their fourth consecutive title after defeating New Zealand in the gold medal match.

The Sapphires are yet to lose a game at the U17 Oceania Cup, and continued that trend in the Cook Islands over the weekend, proving far too good for their regional neighbours in the decider, claiming a whopping 53-point win over the Kiwis on Saturday to bring home the gold following a dominant campaign.

The Aussies were the best team for the entirety of the tournament, claiming wins upward of 80 points over the past week to flex their muscles on the big stage, and despite a solid campaign from the opposition, New Zealand stood no chance against the tournament powerhouse.

Australian Sapphires (112) def. New Zealand (59)

Sitaya Fagan showed why she is one of the best youngsters in Australia with the first basket of the game in the form of a three-pointer, and the Sapphires never looked back from there. The Aussies closed out the quarter on a hefty run to give themselves plenty of breathing space, and went into quarter time with a 15-point lead in hand.

Australia’s scoring run rolled into the second frame, as New Zealand could not produce an answer down the other end to slow down the gold medal favourites. Although the Kiwis eventually got going, they were still trailing by double-digits the entirety of the frame, and heading into the main change, the Sapphires had boosted their buffer out to 26 points, with the match going as expected.

The Aussies put the foot down on the offensive end in the third quarter, with the Sapphires dropping 36 points in a landslide of baskets. What was most impressive about this was the number of contributors Australia had on the scoring front, with New Zealand’s defensive structures picked apart by the sheer volume of shotmakers on the opposition team.

The game was over by three-quarter time, with the Sapphires leading by 47 points at the final change, and although the Kiwis were able to tighten the screws a bit in the final frame, the damage was already done as Australia cruised home to yet another comfortable victory to maintain their standing as the premier team of the continent.

In a match that had plenty of offensive contributors, Aspen Crase was the leading scorer for the Aussies, finishing with 16 points on an efficient 8/10 shooting from the field to lead all-comers in the match. Tarryn Bond was not too far behind with 14 points of her own, while Madison Ryan (14 points) and Isabel Smith (12 points) both hit the scoreboard as expected.

Fagan ended up being named the tournament MVP and finished with 11 points and nine rebounds in the decider to play a crucial role in the result. Across the week, she posted numbers of 13.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. She was joined by Ryan in the All-Star Five as well, showing Australia’s dominance.