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Rams Ease Past Airs, Return Home With Two Big Wins

After topping the Supercity Rangers by 25-points on Saturday night, the Canterbury Rams once again asserted their authority with another big win, this time eclipsing Taranaki Mountainairs by 33pts.

The Rams head home with a 2-1 record on the season following a narrow loss at Southland against the Sharks in the opening round of the season.

Coming into this contest against the Airs with confidence after an easy 98-61 win in Auckland, the Rams wasted little time getting down to business, blasting out of the blocks to take a 33-13 lead after the opening quarter.

Emmett Naar dropped 10pts @ 100% over the first 10-minutes of the game to set the tone, which by half-time reached new heights with the Rams leading 55-31. By the long break every Rams player had scored and the team was going at a crazy 75% clip from the field.

The third period delivered a better effort by the Airs, winning the quarter 22-21, however every time the home team mustered a couple of baskets in succession, the Rams would respond just as quickly with a couple of their own.

Disappointingly, the Airs struggled to control the ball and turned it over 18 times, leading the Rams to taking advantage and dropping 27-points of the errors.

Winning the last quarter 31-21, the visitors coasted to the final buzzer with all 10 players scoring no less than 7-points each.

While the Rams head home filled with confidence, the Airs have dropped to 0-2 and have a number of key players lacking form, something they will want to turn around quickly.

 

Taranaki Mountainairs 74 lost to Canterbury Rams 107

Airs (Kevin Foster 18pts, Derone Raukawa 16pts)

Rams (Luke Aston 16pts, Emmett Naar 15pts, Cam Gliddon 15pts)

Stats That Matter - The Rams were on fire from the outset, shooting at a 75% clip in the first half before ending the game at 68%. It was a display that is sure to make others sit up and take notice. Tellingly, the Rams forced the Airs into 18 turnovers and then helped themselves to 27pts off those blemishes.

Sal's Pizza MVP - Emmett Naar (Rams) with 15pts, 4rbs, 5ast, 3 treys

 

1. The Rams head home with two big wins in the bag after topping the Rangers by 25pts and easing past the Airs by 33pts. Full on confidence, look for a big hometown crowd in R3 when the Rams host Wellington Saints at Horncastle Arena. Are the Rams the real deal in season 2019? We'll know a lot more this time next week.
2. Emmett Naar always looks in control. The talented playmaker is a brilliant distributor and can score himself if needed. The Rams continue to produce gaps and deliver the ball to wide open shooters, capable led by Naar and his exceptional passing skills.
3. The Airs need to get more out of their key players. Import Kevin Foster continues to come off the bench and do the bulk of the scoring, but question marks loom over fellow import Daniel Gomis who was again well held (4pts) in this game.