The Week That Was
The Sal's NBL came back following the international break and thanks to the trade window (as well as scheduled returns from overseas not to mention the time teams had to reassess their squads) we had squads with new looks and feels looking to finish strongly down the stretch. And why not, with a difference of just four wins from 1st place down to 9th it seems as though every team is still in the mix for a chance at the postseason. As we head into the 10th week of the season hope is high across the league but which teams had that hope buoyed and which teams are being drawn in by false hope?
The week started with the Whai hosting the Airs, and both teams would be down on size in the front line meaning there would be a chance for some unsung heroes to step up but the late scratch o0f Jayden Bezzant meant that the home team would need to dig even deeper into the roster to find that help. The first half started slowly with a single point separating the teams who both were unable to top 30 points. The pace picked up in the 3rd, with the Airs building a 14 point filled with highlights from Carlin Davison (17pts, 18rbs, 3ast, 4stls) that was fueled by transition buckets, but the Whai weren't done as 8 straight points from Kruz Perrott-Hunt (21pts, 9rbs, 3stls) to finish the quarter cut the deficit back to 2 at 53-51, Another Perrott-Hunt bucket opened the 4th to tie things up, but 9 straight points by the Airs would see them gain control and eventually take the 75-62 win as all 5 starters hit double figures.
As the Hawks hosted the Giants in the second game of the week and the Giants would have felt a flutter of confidence about grabbing their second win as the Hawks continue to be without the services of Darnell Cowart (back). That injury would push Dan Grida (28pts, 10rbs, 5ast) into the de-facto power forward slot, and while his offense kept the Hawks close it allowed for the Giants new power forward, Jeremy Combs (36pts, 11rbs, 5ast) to dominate on the block throughout the day. The Hawks brought their games early, holding the lead for the majority of the first half, but when the Giants scored 18 straight to end the first term (10 by Combs) a 15 point lead was in place, and the Hawks would never get closer than 10 points, as the Giants grabbed just their second win of the season with the eventual 98-82 win.
The Rams would host the Tuatara, in a rematch of the last two grand finals, but also a rematch of a game just prior to the international break where the Rams romped to a 53 point win. And now the Tuatara would need to find a way to scheme around the departure of Davo Hickey as Luther Muhammad was not yet available as his replacement. The Rams jumped on the Aucklanders early, but the road team found a way to rebound to bring the score line within reach each time the Rams pulled away. But despite the efforts, when a Sean MacDonald (27pts, 4rbs, 4ast) triple zinged the strings as time expired for the 1st half he had given his team a 7 point lead. That lead stretched to 12 when MacDonald hit a jumper early in the third but Buay Tuach (24pts, 12rbs, 2ast) would find the net for 12 points across the remainder of the 3rd term, trimming the deficit to just 3 heading into the final term. That would set up a thrilling finish, and when Charles Pride (31pts, 11rbs, 3ast, 1stl, 1blk) hit a layup after grabbing an o-board with 55 seconds left the Tuatara had taken an improbable 1-point lead. A timely MacDonald triple and free throws down the stretch (along with a favourable whistle or two) would lock down the Rams 5 straight win to secure top of the table status while holding the Tuatara outside of the top six.
Later in the week the Saints would host the Jets, but with Corey Webster a late scratch (hip) fans of the Green Machine would have been wary of the challenge the Saints presented as a squad that had won 6 of 7 games, and that was before adding Jordan Ngatai! A balanced Saints attack that featured 5 double figure scorers would quickly put some distance between themselves and the opposition, as a 20 point lead was built at halftime. The game got no closer in the second as Shea Ili's (15pts, 8rbs, 9ast) near triple double paced the Saints as they blasted the Jets back to Palmerston North with a 108-61 victory.
The Giants would travel to Franklin for their second game of the week, and having won 2 of 3 (with an overtime loss squeezed in) they may have felt a twang of confidence against a Bulls squad that had won 2 in a row itself. Franklin leapt into action from the tip, building a 11 point lead in the opening term on a Marcel Jones (12pts) bucket. But a lack of attention to detail kept the Giants around, and while they didn't threaten the lead they found enough offense to stay within sight. Coming to the end of the third Jordan Hunt blocked a Hayden Jones(13pts, 4rbs, 1ast) dunk attempt, but huge play seemed to lift the Giants, as a Sam Demster triple would give way to 5 straight Jones points, capped by a dunk to close the 3rd that gave the Giants their first lead since the opening minute. This gave the road team confidence heading into the 4th, and that confidence grew as they locked down the Bulls offense while equaling their highest scoring quarter of the game, as Jeremy Combs (18pts, 8rbs, 4ast), Andrew Jones (19pts, 6rbs, 4ast) and Hayden Jones closed with style to give Nelson their 3 win in 4 games with a 91-80 dub.
The Southern Stoush was the last game of the round and fans were expecting everything that comes with our southernmost rivalry. But the Nuggets would need to find a way to do it with just two imports, at the same time that Sharks hit the hardwood with their full lineup for the first time this season as Sam Timmins joined the lineup. The rust was evident on the big fella, but there was no rust on a Nuggets team who battled into the lead behind the strong play of Mac Stodart and Jono Janssen (21pts, 10rbs, 3ast) on the interior. The Sharks stayed close behind the shot making of Keylan Boone (31pts, 7-15 3pfg, 6rbs) and the incredible offensive rebounding of Josiah Allick (12pts, 19rbs, 14 offensive), and when Don Carey Jr (26pts, 4rbs, 9ast) hit a triple just before the half the scores were knotted. Things stayed tight into the 4th quarter, but that was when Caleb Asberry (26pts, 4rbs, 6ast) started to find space to the tune of 14 fourth quarter points and with the support of Boone, who had 13 fourth quarter points, the game was put out of reach with the Sharks taking a 91-80 win.
