MISSOULA, Mont. – Had you happened to be in the capital city of Port Moresby in the country of Papua New Guinea last October, you might have been drawn to the cheering coming from the arena hosting the title game of the FIBA U17 Oceania Championship between New Zealand and Australia.
Australia, stacked with 6-foot-2 talent that will soon be coming to a professional league near you, won the game, per usual, but the victory did not come as easily as expected, not with New Zealand’s Kavanah Lene, a 5-foot-9 guard from Christchurch, putting up 27 points on the favorites.
“For her to have 27 against a team like that, she showed she belonged on the floor and then some,” said Montana women’s basketball coach Brian Holsinger. “If you’re able to perform like that against a team like that, there is something special about you.”
