Round 6 of the 2025 Sky Broadband Rapid League saw eight games played across seven days of action. The round began with an overtime thriller between the Indian Panthers and Bay Hawks and concluded with Auckland Tuatara pinching a one-point win in Taranaki. Mike Lacey takes you those games and everything else you need to know in this week's Rapid Wrap.
Firstly to that overtime encounter where Jackson Ball, playing his first Rapid League game of the season, was instrumental in leading Total Energies Hawks to a free scoring 56-48 win over the Panthers in Pukekohe.
With the Panthers 40-34 ahead with 2:30 to play in the fourth quarter Ball scored the next 9 Hawks points to tie proceedings at 43 points apiece with 9 seconds to play. There was still time for the excellent Ryan Laumatia to give the Panthers the lead only for Clifton Bush III to coolly sink two free throws to send the game into overtime.
After a Jacob Murphy three put the Hawks in the ascendancy early into the overtime period Ball rolled out another 6 points to finish with 24 and set a new Hawks Rapid record.
In addition to Ball’s haul, Laumatia (14pts), Stephan Paea (13pts) and Bush (12pts) each posted season highs.
Indian Panthers 48 – Laumatia 14pts, Paea 13pts, Te Puni 9pts & 7rebs, Matakatea 7pts & 5rebs
Total Energies Hawks 56 – Ball 24pts, Bush 12pts & 5rebs, Murphy 8pts, Eagle 8pts, Kara 2pts & 9rebs
Despite trailing by 7 points (12-5) at quarter time Franklin Bulls recovered to gain a 41-34 victory over Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets in Dunedin on Wednesday night.
Mac Stodart scored 9 points to keep the Nuggets in the ascendancy at half-time (18-17) then with Zion Anderson and KC Nwafor combining for the final 5 points of the third frame the Bulls had edged ahead 28-26.
The Bulls ability to earn visits to the free-throw line was a telling factor as they made 14 trips in the fourth quarter alone - Harri Coker-Grey the prime beneficiary making 8 from 10 on his way to a Rapid best 13 points.
Despite that a Bardsley drive and a Christian Martin three made it a one possession game inside the final minute before Coker-Grey and Nwafor put the lid on the Bulls win knocking the Nuggets off the top perch on the Rapid table in the process.
Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets 34 – Stodart 15pts, Martin 6pts, Bardsley 5pts, 5rebs, 3a & 3 stls
Logik Franklin Bulls 41 – Coker-Grey 13pts, Anderson 9pts, Nwafor 8pts & 8rebs, Hughes 6pts
On a stormy night in Tauranga a Jayden Bezzant banked buzzer beater (say that quickly) gave Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai a hard earned 35-32 win against Southland Sharks.
After Tukaha Cooper had tied proceedings the Whai had 5 seconds to conjure up a game winner and their skipper obliged with a deep three as time expired.
Fittingly it was Denhym Brooke, the outstanding player on the night, that provided the assist for the winner - the Whai forward made 5 from 8 threes on his way to a Rapid best 18 points to accompany 5 rebounds, 2 assists, a block and a steal.
Brooke had 11 points at the half with opposition centre Hayden Collier on 10 points as Whai led 17-15.
Collier and Dane Bertinshaw gave the Sharks the edge at three-quarter time (27-26). A back and forth final spell ensued before the B brigade of Bezzant and Brooke settled the contest.
Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai 35 – Brooke 18pts & 5rebs, Bezzant 7pts & 6a, Lewis 5pts
Southland Sharks 32 – Collier 12pts, Cooper 8pts, Snow 7pts, Bertinshaw 5pts
If the forwards dominated proceedings in Tauranga it was the guards bossing the action in Palmerston North on Good Friday as Property Brokers Manawatu Jets beat the Total Energies Hawks 46-37.
Against his former club Campbell Scott top scored for the Hawks but it was Tyson Thata-Paese grabbing the headlines. The 24 year-old former Tawa College standout, having equalled the Rapid League highest score earlier in the season, is now the sole holder of the record after dropping 26 points (10/17FG) in this one.
With Scott and Jacob Murphy counter punching the efforts of Tinashe Matambanadzo, Tautoko Wynyard and Thata-Paese the game was evenly poised 30 seconds before three-quarter time with the Jets just one ahead (33-32).
However that all changed in the next 90 seconds as Thata-Paese sank three of his four 3-pointers. In that short time. Scott replied with a triple of his own but Matambanadzo made sure of a second consecutive Jets win with successful visits to the free-throw line.
Property Brokers Manawatu Jets 46 - Thata-Paese 26pts, Matambanadzo 8pts & 3a, Wynyard 5pts & 4rebs
Total Energies Hawks 37 – Scott 16pts, Murphy 9pts, Kara 6pts
The Franklin Bulls won for the second time in the round recording a 41-36 win against the Southland Sharks in Pukekohe on Saturday.
Dane Bertinshaw and Tukaha Cooper made a couple of scores each to keep the Sharks within two (15-13), a minute into the second period. However the Bulls dominated the remainder of the second frame as they reeled off four consecutive threes courtesy of Zion Anderson, Marcel Jones, KC Nwafor and Payton Hughes.
The Sharks showed some bite in the third – after a triple from Quake Webster and 6 points from Bertinshaw the Bulls lead had been trimmed to 31-26.
Zion Anderson, on his way to a game high 11 points, increased the Bulls lead although scores from Hayden Collier and Cooper - inside the final sixty seconds - cut the deficit to three points.
The Sharks effort was eventually ended with free-throws from Harri Coker-Grey putting the seal on a deserved Bulls win.
Logik Franklin Bulls 41 – Anderson 11pts, Coker-Grey 7pts, Nwafor 7pts & 5rebs, Vano 6pts & 4a
Southland Sharks 36 – Bertinshaw 10pts, Cooper 8pts, Ramage 7pts, Webster 6pts, Leger 5rebs
Consecutive triples from Christian Martin on the opening two possessions set the tone for a comprehensive Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets 45-29 victory over arch rivals BBQ’s Direct Canterbury Rams at Cowles Stadium on Sunday - the win keeping the Nuggets at the top of the Rapid ladder.
Martin added a third three in the second quarter and with Mac Stodart in dominating form the Nuggs were ahead 22-13 at half-time.
Kaia Isaac and Ihaka Cate did their best to stir a hosts revival but Stodart, a Ram in 2024, and Freeman stretched the Otago lead to a game high 17 points.
Cate, on his way to a season high 12 points scored 5 points in the fourth but the experienced duo of Matt Bardsley and Caleb Smiler steered the efficient Nuggets (16 from 27 from the field at 59%) to win number seven.
BBQ’s Direct Canterbury Rams 29 – I Cate 12pts & 4stls, T Isaac 7pts & 3a, K Isaac 6pts
Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets 45 – Stodart 15pts, Martin 11pts, Bardsley 8pts & 6rebs, Freeman 7pts & 6rebs, Smiler 4pts & 5a
Mills Albert Pathways Wellington Saints moved alongside Otago Nuggets at the head of the Rapid League ladder following a 40-36 win against NBS Nelson Giants in the capital on Easter Monday.
Cooper Adams scored his first points in a Giants singlet but it was largely one way traffic early on as the Saints carved out a 17-5 lead.
Fellow Giants debutant Rico Varricchio also got on the scoreboard but Lukah Richards and Hassan Munir carried the Saints to a 25-13 half-time lead.
Six third quarter points from Richards kept the Saints lead in double figures (35-22) before the Giants mounted a late rally.
Jones dropped back to back mid-range jumpers and Inwood made an And-1 play as the Giants moved to within 4 points (37-33) inside the final minute.
Richards pushed the difference out to six points and although Jones converted from beyond the arc the Giants had left their revival too late and will rue giving up 13 unanswered points at the start of the game.
Mills Albert Pathways Wellington Saints 40 – Richards 13pts & 5rebs, Evans Jr 8pts, Dougall-Mita 7pts, Heke 5pts
NBS Nelson Giants 36 – Inwood 10pts, Adams 8pts, Jones 7pts, Crate 4pts & 6rebs
Auckland Tuatara snapped a five game losing streak with a narrow 27-26 win against Taranaki Steeelformers Airs in New Plymouth on Monday evening.
Back from a stint in the USA, Zavier Adam opened proceedings with a deep three before the Tuatara scored the next 10 points.
The experienced Airs duo of Quintin Bailey and Scott Telfer trimmed the deficit ahead of a Josh Ledger score giving the visitors a 15-12 half-time lead.
Bailey and Telfer nailed threes in the third to help the Airs level proceedings at the last break (20-20).
Into the fourth and a pair of Adam baskets were matched by Noah Rasmussen before a trademark Chris McIntosh three gave Tuatara a 24-27 lead with 70 seconds to play.
Perhaps needing a three to tie the contest the Airs made a layup courtesy of Adam but it was too little too late as only one second remained on the clock – Tuatara having no trouble inbounding the ball as time expired.
Taranaki Steeelformers Airs 26 – Adam 9pts, Telfer 8pts, Bailey 5pts & 3stls, Hoeata 5rebs
JadCup Auckland Tuatara 27 – Wilkie 8pts, Leger 6pts, 4rebs & 3stls, McIntosh 5pts & 4rebs
Simply Rapid
Jets guard Tyson Thata-Paese, having equalled the Rapid League highest score earlier in the season, is now the sole holder of the record after dropping 26 points against the Hawks on Friday night.
Te Tuhi Lewis has played his last game this season with the Whai’s sharp-shooting guard having taken up a 3x3 contract in China. He exits as the Rapid League’s second highest scorer having amassed 240 points.
The 56-48 overtime win by the Hawks over the Panthers in the opening game of the round set a few records:
2025 Rapid League Leading Scorers
153 Tyson Thata-Paese (Jets)
87 Jacob Murphy (Hawks)
84 Dane Bertinshaw (Sharks)
81 Tinashe Matambanadzo (Jets)
74 Dylan Wilkie (Tuatara)
69 Jayden Bezzant (Whai)
69 Christian Martin (Nuggets)
68 Harri Coker-Grey (Bulls)
65 Kazlo Evans Jr (Saints)
65 Mana Martin (Rams)
65 KC Nwafor (Bulls)
64 Jake Holmes (Rams)
64 Scott Telfer (Airs)
All-time Rapid League Leading Scorers
286 Tyson Thata-Paese (Jets)
240 Te Tuhi Lewis (Whai)
228 Jacob Murphy (Hawks)
205 Dru Leusogi-Ape (ex Bulls)
194 Scott Telfer (Airs)
192 Rangimarie Dougall-Mita (Saints)
192 Kazlo Evans Jr (Saints)
190 Josh Aitcheson (Nuggets)
182 Hayden Jones (Giants)
176 Nico Hill (ex Airs)
166 Tama Isaac (Rams)
162 Mac Stodart (Nuggets)
Rapid Ladder
7-2 Nuggets, Saints
5-2 Giants
5-3 Whai
5-4 Hawks
4-4 Panthers, Rams
4-5 Bulls
3-6 Jets, Tuatara
2-6 Airs
2-7 Sharks
