The Rapid Wrap is back to take you through all nine Sky Broadband Rapid League games of the round and drop all the facts that keep you in the know.
SteelforTaranaki Airs v BBQ's Direct Canterbury Rams
The teams traded blows early with the Airs taking an early lead as they worked the interior behind the play of Quintin Bailey but then the Rams started finding penetration lanes in the halfcourt to grab control of the game, finishing the half with a 6 point lead as Mana Martin Ihaka Cate and Jake Holmes all scored 6 points a piece. Scott Telfer scored the first bucket of the second half to put the Airs just four back, 23-19. But then the Rams would go on a balanced 12-0 run to end the quarter before eventually going up 17. The 5 starters for the Rams played every minute with 3 players scoring in double figures, led by Jake Holmes 12pts on 4-7 shooting from deep. The win moving the Rams to the top of the ladder at 4-1 as the Airs 3-2 records sees them sit in fifth. place.
Taranaki (32) - Quintin Bailey (12pts, 7rbs), Scott Telfer (11pts)
Canterbury (46) - Jake Holmes (12pts, 1 rb, 3ast), Ihaka Cate (10pts, 5rbs)
Mills Albert Projects Wellington Saints v Franklin Bulls
The Saints came out strong to open the game, grabbing a 4 point lead behind the hustle of Arthur Pilcher and Lukah Richards up front as they and the Saints bullied their way to the Chemist Warehouse stripe for eight first quarter free throws to take a slender 7-6 lead at the break. The Bulls would bounce back behind the hustle of K.C. Nwafor who would score 7 points in the quarter to give the Bulls a two point lead at the half. The lead would stay at 2 until the 4th quarter, where the Saints defense would smother all the oxygen out of the Bulls offense, holding them scoreless while scoring 10 points of their own to take down the Bulls by 8 to move to 4-1, sitting on equal wins with the ladder leaders of the day.
Wellinton (32) - Rangimarie Dougall-Mita (9pts, 6rbs), Kazlo Evans (8pts, 5rbs)
Franklin Bulls (24) - Harri Coker-Grey (8pts, 3rbs, 2ast), K.C. Nwafor (7pts, 2rbs)
Indian Panthers v Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets
A slow starting Nuggets squad would knuckle down against the Panthers defensively as their match against the Panthers went on. The Indian Panthers took an early lead but Patrick Freeman would make three straight triples to take a 2 point lead they would never relinquish. Freeman would finish 4-5 from three and Matthew Bardsley would hit 5-6 from the field to lead the Nuggets in their 19 point victory. Cooper Lepou would catch fire late in the game to the entertainment of the crowd but the real star of the show was the defense that held the Panthers to 6 points or less in three of the four quarters while forcing them into 34% shooting from the field.
Panthers (26) - Cooper Lepou (14pts), Zack Te Puni (5pts, 6rbs)
Nuggets (47) - Patrick Freeman (16pts, 4rbs), Matthew Bardsley (10pts, 3rbs, 4ast)
Southland Sharks v Jadcup Auckland Tuatara
The Sharks returned to their homecourt hoping to find their first win of the season as they hosted a Tuatara team whose Rapid League strength should have been rising with the recent addition of two starters, but after allowing the visitors to take a 2 point lead on the first bucket of the game the Sharks would swim to the lead and keep Auckland at hands distance for the remainder of the game. Tukaha Cooper and Dane Bertinshaw would get in on the action early for the Sharks as the home side built a commanding 25-13 lead at the half. Nick Barrow and Josh Wyllie would lift their play to cut the lead down to seven entering the final term, but the Sharks would use triples hit by Hayden Collier and Quake Webster in the final quarter to clinch their first win of the Rapid League season.
Southland (43) - Tukaha Cooper (11pts, 2rbs), Dane Bertinshaw (11pts)
Auckland (38) - Nick Barrow (12pts, 5rbs), Josh Wyllie (10pts, 3rbs, 2ast)
NBS Nelson Giants v Taranaki Steeelformers Airs
The Giants would take an early lead on their home court as they tried to continue their unbeaten streak to open the season, but the Airs were determined and after Quintin Bailey's 1st quarter three they had a slender 1 point lead. But then the defense would step up to hold the visitors to three second quarter points while the offense was highlighted by a late Coen Williams triple to take a 5 point lead at halftime. The offense for both teams bogged down in the the third, with 4 points by Geordie Hoeata the highlight as the lead sat at 3 points. The fourth was all the Giants and James Matthews as his 6 points would drive the O as the D held the Airs to a single bucket to secure the 9 point win and remain unbeaten.
Nelson (25) - James Matthews (10pts, 4rb, 2ast), Sam Dempster (2pts, 9rb)
Taranaki (16) - Geordie Hoeata (7pts, 6rbs), Quintin Bailey (5pts, 2rbs)
Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai) v Total Energies Hawks
The What were looking up the ladder at their Hawks opponent as they hoped the return of Te Tuhi Lewis would lift the club to break their 2-game losing streak. Early on the Hawks were controlling the game as for of five starters found the scoreboard in the first quarter before picking up the pressure to push out to a 7 point halftime lead behind strong play from Jacob Murphy and Kobe Kara. But the momentum shifted at halftime, as Te Tuhi Lewis and Jayden Bezzant lifted on the offensive end to score 9 straight points to finish the quarter with a 1-point lead. The Hawks would keep close down the stretch, but Lewis' 10 fourth quarter points would season the 8 point win.
Whai (41) - Te Tuhi Lewis (17pts, 2rbs, 2ast), Jayden Bezzant (12pts, 4rbs, 1ast)
Hawks (33) - Kobe Kara (13pts, 4rbs), Jacob Murphy (8pts)
Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets v Jadcup Auckland Tuatara
The Nuggets were on the second leg of a awkward Big Smoke double header, as they returned from playing the Panthers in Auckland to host the Tuatara on the second leg of their Southern Swing. Neither team could gain control of the game in the first half as the squads played tug of war with small leads as the Nugs would take a slender 1 point lead at the break. But out of the break Otago would lift their defensive efforts and allow only a single point in the third quarter as Josh early to help deliver a 10-1 quarter to take a 26-16 lead heading into the fourth that would prove insurmountable on the day. The Nuggets claiming their second win of the round and third straight overall to move into second position on the ladder with a 4-1 record.
Otago (31) - Matthew Bardsley (8pts), Josh Aitcheson (6pts, 4rbs)
Auckland (22) - Nick Barrow (7pts, 7rbs), Dylan Wilkie (6pts)
Property Brokers Manawatū Jets v Mills Albert Projects Wellington Saints
The Jets would host their first home game of the Rapid League season with the hope that a little home support would deliver a second straight win after 3 losses to open the comp an but it would be a tough task against a Saints squad that had won 3 in a row and was on their second game of the week. The difficulty of the task at hand would be proven when a Rangimarie Dougall-Mita triple stretched the lead to 10 before a late Tautoko Wynyard bucket would see the quarter end with the Saints up 12-2. Solid d in the second quarter would see the lead shrink slightly, to a 16-10 Saints advantage before the fans would delight in a second half scoring explosin where 45 points were scored in total. Tyason Thata-Paese was find form from deep and then a Tinashe Matambanadzo triple would pull the Jets within 1 point with 32 seconds left, 34-35, leaving the Jets hopeful that a stop could give them an opportunity to steal a win, but with seven seconds left Dougall-Mita would step up and drain 2 free throws to seal the win.
Jets (34) - Tyson Thata-Paese (15pts, 2ast), Tinashe Matambanadzo (13pts)
Saints (37) - Tyrael Cage-Heke (8pts, 4rbs), Rangimarie Dougall-Mita (7pts, 3ast)
Indian Panthers v Southland
Two teams would meet for their second game of the week in the last of the Sunday action, as the Sharks would look to lock down their 2nd straight win after starting the season 0-4 while the Panthers were trying to bounce back following a big loss on their home court a few days before. Things looked good for the home team in the early going, as Dante Matakatea's second bucket of the first gave the home team a 1-point lead but solid defense and a Dane Bertinshaw buzzer beating triple would give the vistiors a 5-point quarter time lead at 13-8. The lead would stretch to 7 as the efforts of Zack Te Puni and Vince Lenden would see the lead shink to 2-points before buckets by Dane Bertinshaw and Quake Webster securted a 6 point halftime lead. The teams traded defensive effort in the third before a Webster buzzer beater struck to end the third quarter to give the Sharks an 8 point lead, and as the scoring dried up in the fourth that would be enough for the Sharks to grab their second straight Rapid win 33-26.
Panthers (26) - Dante Matakatea (7pts, 5rbs), Zack Te Puni (7pts, 3rbs)
Southland (33) - Tukaha Cooper (13pts, 4rbs), Dane Bertinshaw (7pts)
Simply Rapid
Te Tuhi Lewis takes the top score of the week with 17 points but Patrick Freeman wasn't far behind with 16, but despite their efforts Tyson Thata-Paese is still top of the charts at 16.17ppg on 97 points scored this year.
Scoring Leaders
1. Thata, Tyson - Manawatū Jets 16.17ppg
2. Singh, Tushal - Indian Panthers 14.00ppg
3. Kara, Kobe - Hawkes Bay Hawks 13.00ppg
4. Stodart, Mac - Otago Nuggets 10.50ppg
5. Lewis, Te Tuhi - Tauranga Whai 10.25ppg
6. Murphy, Jacob - Hawkes Bay Hawks 10.17ppg
7. Lepou, Cooper - Indian Panthers 10.00ppg
8. Matambanadzo, Emmanuel - Manawatū Jets 83ppg
Wilkie, Dylan - Auckland Tuatara 9.83ppg
10. Bertinshaw, Dane - Southland Sharks 9.33ppg
Free Throw Shooters - Fourteen players have yet to miss a free throw in Rapid, led by the 6-6 shooting Taranaki's Jack Exeter, but the most impressive start may come from his temmate Scott Telfer, who has made 18 of his first 19 attempts on the season.
