The Rapid League still sees the defending champion champs still at the top of a table but a 6 game winning streak has a team hot on their tails ready to pounce just as we head into the international break. Elsewhere in the competition a six game losing streak was halted and a record number of triples was hit. When the action resumes we'll see the Sky Broadband Rapid League streak to the finish where just 2 wins separate first and sixth place! Read on as Mike Lacey takes you through that and everything else you need to know if the Rapid Wrap.
In the opening game of the round a dominant second half display propelled Auckland Tuatara to a 41-26 victory over Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets at Eventfinda Stadium.
With Caleb Smiler and Matt Bardsley combining for 13 points either side of half-time the Nuggets were ahead 21-18 at the mid-point of the third period before being flattened in the closing six minutes.
Teenagers Noah Rasmussen and Josh Wyllie produced their best performances of the season and with Chris McIntosh chiming in with a brace of threes the Tuatara chalked up 17 unanswered points to clear out to their biggest win of the season.
Christian Martin, back in familiar surrounds on Auckland’s North Shore, eventually halted the slide but it didn’t prevent Otago slipping to their largest ever Rapid defeat.
Auckland Tuatara 41 – Wyllie 10pts, Rasmussen 8pts, McIntosh 6pts, Leger 6pts, 3a & 2blks
Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets 26 – Bardsley 11pts, Martin 10pts, Smiler 5pts
Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai made it 6 straight wins with a 44-17 demolition job on Total Energies Hawks in Napier.
A pair of Jacob Murphy threes gave the Hawks the early lead but once Jayden Boucher gave Whai the lead (11-8) approaching quarter time it was largely one way traffic.
Jayden Bezzant, headed for a Rapid best 18 points, scored 8 in the second period as the Whai extended their advantage to 24-10 at half-time.
With the Whai skipper and Jett Thompson prominent at the offensive end and Boucher (12 rebounds) sweeping the boards the visitors outscored the Hawks 20-7 in the second half to win at a canter.
Total Energies Hawks 17 – Murphy 6pts, Taylor 3pts
Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai 44 – Bezzant 18pts, Thompson 9pts & 4a, Flavell 6pts, Boucher 3pts, 12rebs & 2blks
Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets slipped to a second loss on their trip to Auckland going down 38-34 to Franklin Bulls at the Stockyard on Friday night.
The Nuggets were undone by a stunning shooting display from Bulls guard Payton Hughes who dropped a Rapid best 7 threes – from just 9 attempts – on his way to equaling a single game league high 25 points.
The Hughes haul began with a buzzer beating three to end the opening quarter and give the Bulls a 10-8 lead.
Christian Martin and Darcy Knox landed from deep for the Nuggets but Hughes converted all four of his long range attempts in the second to maintain the Bulls two-point advantage (24-22).
Patrick Freeman tied proceedings in the third before triple number seven from Hughes took the Bulls to a 33-27 lead at three-quarter time.
Despite the onslaught the Nuggs stayed in touch and after a second Martin trey only trailed by three with two minutes to play.
Christian Vano then joined the three-point party and his effort was enough to secure a Bulls victory.
Franklin Bulls 38 – Hughes 25pts, Coker-Grey 5pts, Vano 3pts & 5a
Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets 34 – Martin 10pts, Freeman 7pts, Bardsley 6pts & 5rebs
The high flying Mills Albert Pathways Wellington Saints were undone by Taranaki Steeelformers Airs, the team on a six game losing streak, 46-39 in New Plymouth on Saturday.
The Airs welcomed back Jack Exeter after injury and Cameron Quinnell following the completion of his American collegiate season and the duo combined for 20 points as the losing run was snapped.
The dependable Quintin Bailey scored 9 first half points although, with Hassan Munir and Tyrael Cage-Heke prominent, the Saints edged the spell 27-24.
Eight third quarter points from Exeter and a triple from Dom Kelman-Poto carried the Airs to a 35-32 three-quarter time lead and from there, with Quinnell scoring five points and the Saints held to just 12 second half points, it was the Airs that were able to close out a much needed and welcomed win.
Taranaki Steeelformers Airs 46 – Exeter 12pts, Bailey 9pts, Quinnell 8pts, Tuuta 7pts, Kelman-Poto 6pts & 4rebs
Mills Albert Pathways Wellington Saints 39 – Heke 11pts & 6rebs,Munir 10pts, Pilcher 8pts, Evans Jr 8pts
After the Southland Sharks had established an early lead BBQ’s Direct Canterbury Rams, paced by 18 points from Junior Tall Black Tama Isaac and 12 points on debut from Brody Cooper, defeated Southland Sharks 41-35 in Invercargill.
Dane Bertinshaw, the Sharks leading scorer this season, helped the hosts to an early 9-4 lead although that was overturned by the aforementioned Isaac and Cooper – Rams ahead 16-12 at half-time.
The two teams went blow for blow in the second half and when Tukaha Cooper, headed for a Rapid best 17 points, drained a triple with 47 seconds remaining the Sharks were within a single point (36-35).
However Marco Sula then nailed a three, following a crucial Tony Worthington offensive rebound, and with the Sharks failing to score on the next possession Tama Isaac iced the contest from the chemist warehouse stripe.
Southland Sharks 35 – T Cooper 17pts, Bertinshaw 10pts, Webster 8pts
BBQ’s Direct Canterbury Rams 41 – T Isaac 18pts, B Cooper 12pts, K Isaac 3pts & 5rebs
Property Brokers Manawatū Jets slipped to yet another close loss going down 35-33 at home to NBS Nelson Giants in the last game of the round on Sunday.
A Lachie Crate dunk, early in the contest, caused a hold up in play while the ring was adjusted and after the resumption the Jets forged a 19-14 lead and, with Tyson Thata-Paese and Tinashe Matambanadzo again in good form, their advantage 28-23 with a quarter to play.
A Thata-Paese bucket early in the fourth meant the Jets guard became the first player to score 200 points this season and more importantly kept his team five points ahead with 2:30 to play.
However the hosts failed to score again in that remaining time and with the Giants earning numerous trips to the foul line, outscoring the Jets 9-0 before Matambanadzo completed what amounted to consolation points with 6 seconds to play.
The Giants were led by Hayden Jones (11 points) with Sam Dempster, Aston Inwood and Crate playing significant hands.
Property Brokers Manawatu Jets 33 -Thata 12pts, Matambanadzo 12pts, Wynyard 4pts, Collins 2pts & 5rebs
NBS Nelson Giants 36 – Jones 11pts, Dempster 9pts, Crate 7pts, Inwood 6pts
Simply Rapid
Beating Otago Nuggets 41-26 in the opening game of the round Auckland Tuatara posted their biggest win of the season. That was followed by Tauranga Whai chalking up their biggest ever Rapid League win, demolishing the Hawks 44-17.
Jayden Boucher pulled down 12 rebounds – equalling KC Nwafor for the most boards in a Rapid game.
Bulls guard Payton Hughes dropped a Rapid best 7 threes – from just 9 attempts – on his way to equalling the Rapid high of 25 points against the Nuggets. He, Tyson Thata-Paese (Jets) and Matt Bardsley (Nuggets) are the three players to have scored 25 points.
Scoring 12 points against the Giants Tyson Thata-Paese became the first player to score 200 points this season – teammate Tinashe Matambanadzo is second best with 120 points.
2025 Rapid League Leading Scorers
200 Tyson Thata-Paese (Jets)
120 Tinashe Matambanadzo (Jets)
111 Jayden Bezzant (Whai)
107 Jacob Murphy (Hawks)
106 Dane Bertinshaw (Sharks)
100 Christian Martin (Nuggets)
89 Dylan Wilkie (Tuatara)
86 Quintin Bailey (Airs)
82 Kazlo Evans Jr (Saints)
80 Harri Coker-Grey (Bulls)
80 Payton Hughes (Bulls)
77 Tukaha Cooper (Sharks)
All-time Rapid League Leading Scorers
333 Tyson Thata-Paese (Jets)
248 Jacob Murphy (Hawks)
240 Te Tuhi Lewis (Whai)
209 Kazlo Evans Jr (Saints)
205 Dru Leusogi-Ape (ex Bulls)
204 Hayden Jones (Giants)
197 Rangimarie Dougall-Mita (Saints)
196 Scott Telfer (Airs)
195 Tama Isaac (Rams)
190 Josh Aitcheson (Nuggets)
181 Matt Bardsley (Nuggets)
All-time Rapid League Most Appearances
32 Tyson Thata-Paese (20 for Saints in ‘24, 11 for Jets in ‘25)
31 Jacob Murphy (Hawks)
31 Caleb Smiler (Nuggets)
30 Rangimarie Dougall-Mita (Saints)
29 Nick Barrow (Tuatara)
29 Jett Thompson (Whai)
29 Quake Webster (Sharks)
Rapid Ladder
8-3 Saints, Whai
8-2 Giants
7-5 Nuggets
6-4 Rams
6-6 Hawks
5-6 Bulls
4-5 Panthers
4-7 Tuatara
4-8 Jets
3-7 Airs
2-9 Sharks
