CANBERRA (Australia) - Olivia Olechnowicz earned the Most Valuable Player award at the FIBA U15 Women's Oceania Cup, following an outstanding performance with champions Australia.
There was nothing that could stop Australia in their path to staying undefeated and Olechnowicz was a key reason why.
Olechnowicz displayed her all-around skill set in the Final against New Zealand and recorded 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Moreover, it showcased how consistent she was as throughout the competition, Olechnowicz averaged 13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 5.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. It was in the steals department that she led all players in the competition.
Olechnowicz was joined on the All-Star Five by fellow Sapphire Isabel Smith, Final opponents Ava Jones and Imani Rasmussen from New Zealand, and Tonga's Hunivaololo Folau.
Smith was one of the best scorers in the competition, averaging a 7th-best 14.4 points per game on 60.4 percent field goal shooting. She also distributed 3.4 assists per game, third among all players while also grabbing 4.4 rebounds per contest. In the Group Phase, Smith exploded for 27 points on 10-13 shooting against New Zealand.
Jones also had an impressive campaign, averaging 10.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the young Tall Ferns. Her performance against Australia in the Group Phase, in particular, stood out as her double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds along with 5 assists applied immense pressure on the eventual champions.
New Zealand also benefitted from the play of 1.90M (6'3") center Rasmussen who averaged 10.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. Her height and length provided problems for the opposition, especially against Samoa in the Group Phase when she had 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 steals, in the win.
Wrapping up the All-Star Five was Hunivaololo Folau who had a head-turning performance with debutants Tonga. On their way to a historic bronze, Folau averaged a third-best 16.7 points per game and shot 40 percent from the three-point line while leading all players with 8.5 assists and 4.3 steals per contest. She constantly came close to recording a triple-double whether it was against Cook Islands (30 points, 13 assists, 5 steals), Fiji (26 points, 9 assists, 4 steals), New Caledoania (11 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 10 steals), or Guam (13 points, 7 rebounds, 14 assists).
New Caledonia's Angelique Ha Ho was also presented with the FIBA Fair Play Award.
FIBA