CANBERRA (Australia) - Australia have not only won all editions of the competition so far, they have yet to lose a single game either.
Can they keep that record going or will this be the year New Zealand hands them a loss?
History
The history is pretty straight forward.
The Sapphires have yet to lose a game in this competition, whether it's been the two prior editions at the U15 level or even the times where it was competed at a U16 age group.
So when New Zealand led by 16 in the first half of their first encounter a few days ago, it was quite an "upset alert". Even after Australia roared back to build up a lead over New Zealand, it wasn't until the final moments where they could be comfortable with getting away with a win. And even then, it was merely a 71-68 victory.
Current Situation
Australia are averaging over 100 points per game, easily leading the competition, but New Zealand aren't too far behind at 97.5 points per game.
Both teams are moving the ball well and dropping a lot of dimes (Australia - 22.3 assists per game; New Zealand - 21.5 assists per game), which should make for another fun game between the teams in the Final as expected.
The young Tall Ferns are shooting a bit better from beyond the arc, knocking down 33.7 percent of long range shots compared to the Sapphires who are shooting 25.0 percent. New Zealand are also the only team shooting over 50 percent from the field, with Australia shooting 45.5 percent so far.
The Sapphires' edge is in their defense. Not only do they lead all teams in blocks with 8.5 per game and steals with 19.3 per game, they are also allowing only 37.3 points per game.
Stars
Olivia Olechnowicz has led Australia in scoring (14.3 points per game) and Efficiency (20.3 per game) while also getting 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and a whopping 5.3 steals per contest. The Sapphires have ran a deep rotation so far with all players averaging double-digit minutes on the court, so it's not easy to pinpoint a single player, but if you had to, you can't go wrong with Olechnowicz.
She insists that it's just been a matter of focusing on the hustle.
"I think that for me I just love to hustle especially on defense," she said. "Even just being there behind the girls in help and on the ball, seeing defensive stops turn in the offense."
Of course, it would be wise to also point out that the last time these two teams played, Isabel Smith scored 27 points, so keep an eye on her as well.
New Zealand are in a similar position where all of the players have gotten their chances to shine. But among those who have commanded a bit more spotlight is Ava Jones. The 1.83M (6'0") forward is averaging a well-rounded 11.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. Her biggest game so far? A 17-point, 10-rebound double-double against - you guessed it - Australia.
Key Focus
Maybe Australia were caught off-guard in the first clash between the two teams, leading to that large hole of a deficit they had to big themselves out of. So getting off to a strong start will be key in the rematch in the Final.
"I think we just need to come out like we did in the second half [of the Group Phase game]," said Olechnowicz. "We came out ready to go. They really gave us a bit of a scare in the beginning but we came out strong and now we know what to expect. Just be physical because they are very physical."
Just as Australia knows to do better in getting out of the gates on the right footing, New Zealand also have their learnings to improve from what went wrong in the second half. But they'll be playing a bit loose in the Final and that might be their advantage.
"We need to just probably hammer down on the little things that we missed out in the Aussie game," said Jones. "We have nothing to lose. They’ve got all the pressure, this is just icing on the cake for us. If we lost by 3, we can definitely win in the Final."
FIBA