The Week That Was
Week three of Amp'd April has brought a bit of a log jam on the ladder with 8 teams sitting between 4-6 wins, while two others sit on 7 and 3 wins respectively. That's ten teams within a stones throw of each other on the ladder right as the Anzac round that features eight games arrives on the schedule.
The Mills Albert Wellington Saints made a statement about their position on the ladder when they stepped on the court for the second half against a NBS Nelson Giants squad that would have had a bit of hope around getting their first victory of the year after a tight first half. A 64-28 shellacking nipped that hope in the bud as the Saints shot 61% on 2pfg, won the rebound battle by 10 while scoring 62 points in the paint to claim a 105-65 win. Nick Marshall (28pts, 12rbs) leading all scorers while Hyrum Harris (15pts, 12rbs) added a double double. The Saints (7-2) holding top spot on the ladder with their 5th straight win, while still having a roster spot up (restricted player?) up their sleeve to play with.
The last team to beat the Saints, The Wheeler Motor Company Canterbury Rams (6-2), hosted a Night n' Day Otago Nuggets squad that was coming off the receiving end of a three point Tsunami at the hands of the Logik Franklin Bulls, and Ethan Rusbatch (27pts, 8 made 3pfg) in particular as they went down 107-84 in a one sided affair., a game result that would have made each teams next contest (the Nugs facing the Rams and the Bulls facing the Sharks but more on that in a moment) seem like it would result in one way traffic as Sean MacDonald joined an already imposing Rams lineup. But the Nuggets would find the offense that had eluded them a few nights before as Don Carey Jr (28pts, 6rbs, 6ast) and Jaylen Sebree (24pts, 5rbs) got off to hot starts that sustained the teams way to a 11 point fourth quarter lead. But a defensive fueled 11-1 run would culminate in an overtime contest after a Tohi Smith-Milner(28pts, 10rbs, 4ast) free throw tied the game with 17 seconds left. The Rams would leap to a 6 point lead behind Smith-Milners 9 straight to open the quarter, but his two missed free throws with 11 seconds left allowed the Carey a game winning chance which wasn't to be, Canterbury claiming a 108-107 thriller. The Nuggets staying on 3 wins and desperately needing to string together wins to be mentioned with the 8 teams logjammed above them.
The Bulls would travel north after their first win of the week for an unorthodox Southern Swing, one that would bring the Sharks to Franklin after the Southerners scored a surprise victory over early season bolters Northern Group Tauranga Whai. The Sharks looked like form that had found 1 win in their last 5 games would continue as they found themselves down 13pts in the second, but Josiah Allick (27pts, 13rbs, 4as) and Keylan Boone (26pts, 10rbs) combined to carry the offense as the defense held the opposition under 80pts for just the third time all season, all wins.
So the plan was clear for the Sharks, hold down a Bulls offense coming off back to back 100 point games to under 80 and win was theirs, easier said then done. The teams traded blows as the 1st quarter finished with a 1-point Bulls lead. Then the Monstars claimed the Bulls basketball skills, or something similar cause I'm not sure how to explain it as the Sharks would roll off a 92-48 run over the final three quarters, as the Bulls provided little resistance to a three point onslaught where 7 players made 2 or more triples, 6 by Boone (31pts, 9rbs, 4ast) but none by Allick (26pts, 12rbs, 6ast) as the Sharks dominated all over the court in 43 point victory (114-71)!! The Sharks suddenly swimming into the Finals chase (with Sam Timmins still to come) while the Bulls ponder their inconsistent week.
They aren't the only team dealing with consistency issues as the Big Barrel Hawks found themselves in an unexpected contest against a winless Panthers side, who held the lead deep into the second quarter behind another Jaylen Gerrand (23pts) led offense before hitting the half trailing by 3. The Hawks would find another gear in the second half as Dan Grida (27pts, 7rbs, 5ast) and Darnell Cowart (21pts, 9rbs, 6ast) led the offense and the collective defense tightened to grab a 103-88 win.
That win leading to a contest against the Property Broker Manawatū Jets, where the victor would likely be top 6 bound. The Jets swooping on the Hawks as a Corey Webster (29pts, 8ast) and Dontae Russo-Nance (20pts, 5rbs, 4stls) led an offensive attack that held a 6 point halftime lead, but would have been concerned about Mile Gibson's lack of production with just 3 points. The concern didn't take long as Gibson found form in the second half to finish with 30pts as the Jets defense kept the Hawks at arms length to claim the win, split the season series and move into the top 6 spots on the ladder.
Which leaves the final game of the round where the Jadcup Auckland Tuatara would take their 5 game winning streak to New Plymouth to take on the Steelformers Taranaki Airs and, with respect to the Rams and Nuggets, the Sal's NBL may have saved the best for last. The Airs would start quickly but Auckland would continually pull them back to a reasonable distance in a physical affair where neither team would take a step back. The Tuatara would take the lead by 5 early in the 4th but the game was far from won as Armon Fletcher (23pts, 6rbs) and Owen Foxwell (31pts, 8rbs, 7ast) would power Taranaki back to the lead before a Harry Froling layup would put the home team 5 points up with less than two minutes to play, but then Will "Davo" Hickey (36pts, 10rbs, 7ast)would score 7 straight to pull into the lead with 17 seconds remaining. Two more Froling free throws making the score 111-110, leaving the crowd on tenderhooks as a Hickey triple would go wayward as the buzzer sounded, sweeping the season series for the Airs while propelling them into 5th spot at the same time the Tuatara fell to 8th.
Worth Mentioning
Davo Hickey's triple double season? - I'm not sure he'll garner a mention every week but he's back here again as Hickey once again narrowly missed a triple double setting his season averages at 29.4ppg, 10.2rpg, and 9apg. Will he do the near unthinkable and hit the triple dub average for the season? Not so unthinkable, especially if he plays 40 minutes as his last time out.
Rob Loe down with injury? - Of greater to concern to Cam Gliddon and the Tuatara would be the form of Rob Loe's health after an ankle injury that held him to 22 minutes against the Airs. No information has been shared on the injury, but if the big fella is sidelined for any amount of time the Tuatara will be hard pressed to keep up the form of the last 5 games, even with great contributors elsewhere on the roster.
Keylan Boone and Josiah Allick Combo - They pulled together impressive performances all year long but have been doing the yeomen like work without attaining the wins to go with it. But that all changed with the 2 huge wins that have catapulted them into the Finals chase
Bulls 3 point Shooting Touch - The up and down shooting of the Bulls continues, Their3 point shooting went from a season low 23% to a seson low 36% in their first loss of the season against the Hawks to a new season low of 22% in the loss to the Saints to the lowest of 16% in a total depants-ing (is that a word? I'll roll with it) the took against the Sharks. It seemed the additions of Flynn Cameron and especially Ethan Rusbatch ( 3 games, 4.6 made 3pfgs per game, 42% 3pfg) had brought balance to the shot selection of the team, with the 3point rate hitting 38% (still in the bottom third of the league) while hitting at a 32% clip, 9th in the league but brought down by their 7-44 (15%) 3-point shooting performance against the Sharks. They Had made 12 and 17 threes in their previous two games after having hit 17 in their previous three. It could be an anomaly, or it could be worth mentioning.
