Southland vs. Manawatu: Jets Withstand Sharks Comeback to Claim Victory

The Southland Sharks were defeated 83-70 by Property Brokers Manawatū Jets at ILT Stadium Southland on Wednesday in the opening game of Round 2 of the Sal’s NBL.

The Sharks trailed by 16 points at half-time before mounting a stunning third quarter comeback to briefly snatch the lead. However the commanding presence of Tyrell Harrison (17 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks), the offensive output of Mustapha Heron (19 points) and the calming influence of Campbell Scott (13 points and 8 assists), who played every minute of the game, ensured the Jets controlled the closing period to ease to victory.

Former Canterbury Rams forward Troy Baxter Jnr added 12 points for the Jets with Liam Judd making an impactful 10 points.

The Sharks were led by a 20-point haul from Marcale Lotts with Scott Telfer (16 points), LaGerald Vick (14 points) and Matariki Kapea (10 points) also in double figures. Callum McRae, in his intriguing matchup with fellow 7-footer Tyrell Harrison was close to a double-double as he added 9 rebounds to 8 points to go with 5 assists.

Early on Heron’s coast-to-coast dunk established an 11-5 lead for the Jets and also prompted a timeout for Sharks coach Guy Molloy who was concerned with the ease in which the visitors were collecting points.

Those concerns increased as the Jets, aided by a brace of threes from Judd, carved out a 26-16 opening quarter lead.

A transition dunk from Judd demonstrated the offensive weaponry possessed by the former Rangitoto College wing and with Heron into double figures the Jets lead approached twenty points.

Vick made back-to-back baskets for the hosts but the Orange Army were decidedly quiet with their team trailing 47-31 at the interval.

The Sharks started the second half in more promising fashion with triples from Kapea and Telfer and when Vick scored in transition the Jets lead had been cut to single figures and it was Natu Taufale that required a timeout.

The single figure difference became a single possession margin after a Kapea And-1 play. Then remarkably, to the delight of the home fans, a three from Telfer gave the Sharks a 59-58 lead.

Jets guard Campbell Scott restored the lead (61-59) for the visitors but the quarter had favoured the Sharks 28-14.

Triples from Lachie Crate and Scott, plus inside work from Harrison, re-established a ten point cushion for the Jets early in the fourth quarter. They proceeded to control the final minutes to claim a first victory of the season ahead of a match up with the Otago Nuggets in Dunedin on Friday night.

In addition to the loss the Sharks will be sweating on the fitness of Alonzo Burton ahead of their trip to Hawkes Bay on Sunday. The Sharks skipper played just the first three minutes of the game before retiring to the bench with a leg injury.

Result: Southland Sharks (70) lost to Property Brokers Manawatu Jets (83)

Leading Players:

Sharks: Lotts (20 points), Telfer (16 points), Vick (14 points), Kapea (10 points), McRae (8 points,9 rebounds and 5 assists)

Jets: Harrison (17 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks), Heron (19 points and 9 rebounds), Scott (13 points and 8 assists), Baxter Jnr (12 points), Judd (10 points)

MVP Votes:

Tyrell Harrison (Jets) – 10 votes, Mustapha Heron (Jets) – 7 votes, LaGerald Vick (Sharks) – 4 votes, Marcale Lotts (Sharks) – 4 votes, Scott Telfer (Sharks) – 4 votes, Campbell Scott (Jets) – 1 vote

In the earlier Sky Broadband Rapid League game:

In the earlier Sky Broadband Rapid League encounter Southland Sharks claimed a big 43-26 win over the Manawatū Property Brokers Jets.

Ben Hall, with 10 points on 5 from 7 shooting, led the way for the Sharks who had five players with 6 points or more.

Also with 10 points (4/5FG) was Simon Lafaele for the Jets with Jackson Stent and Lachie Crate contributing half a dozen each.

Hall scored six of his ten points in the opening quarter as the Sharks raced to a 17-5 lead.

The Jets scored the first four points of the second quarter but three-point makes from teenager Quake Webster and veteran Andrew Wheeler – a mere 18 years separating the two – helped propel the Sharks to a massive 30-9 half-time lead

Despite an improved effort from the Jets in the second quarter the Sharks advantage was still 15 points at three-quarter time and 17 points at the finish as they cruised to victory.

Result: Southland Sharks (43) defeated Property Brokers Jets (26)

Leading Players:

Sharks: Hall (10pts), Scott Telfer (8pts and 3 steals), Wheeler (7pts), Webster (7pts), Riley Snow (6pts and 7rebs)

Jets: Lafaele (10pts), Stent (6pts), Crate (6pts and 2 blocks)

MVP Votes:

Ben Hall (Sharks) – 10 votes, Scott Telfer (Sharks) – 6 votes, Simon Lafaele (Jets) – 6 votes, Andrew Wheeler (Sharks) – 4 votes, Riley Snow (Sharks) – 2 votes, Lachlan Crate (Jets) – 1 vote, Jackson Stent (Jets) – 1 vote