Mad March Week Three Rapid Wrap

Photo: Monica Toretto

Mike Lacey is back to take you through the Rapid Wrap where the fastest league in Aotearoa brought you all the action.

The Sky Broadband Rapid League performance of the round for week three of Mad March belonged to Total Energies Hawks that won on the road in Taranaki despite failing to score in the opening quarter – more on that below, but we begin with the opening game of the round which saw the Auckland Tuatara grab a 34-27 road win in Tauranga on Tuesday night.

Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai got off to a perfect start with Jayden Boucher scoring on the first possession but the Tuatara hit back through KC Ioane and Dylan Wilkie to lead 12-6 at quarter time.

Three-point plays from Jayden Bezzant and Taiapau Pakaurangi cancelled out Chris Wyllie scores – the margin reduced to two-points at half-time (16-14).

Although Talanoa Latu made a clock beating play as time expired in the third, 7 points in the period from Xanda Marsters ensured the hosts were in striking distance at the last break as they trailed 24-21.

Debutant Mike Wade tied proceedings early in the fourth before a couple of inside buckets from Nick Barrow tilted the tie in favour of the Tuatara. From there a succession of free-throws ensured the Aucklanders headed home with the spoils.

Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai 27 – Marsters 10pts & 4rebs, Bezzant 5pts, Thompson 3pts & 5rebs

Auckland Tuatara 34 – Wyllie 8pts & 5rebs, Wilkie 8pts, Ioane 7pts, Barrow 6pts & 6rebs

After an even first quarter Mills Albert Pathways Wellington Saints produced a dominant 15-4 second quarter enabling them to control the contest against the Southland Sharks and ease to a 34-26 home victory in the capital on Wednesday night.

Tied at 8 points each at quarter time Dane Bertinshaw briefly put the Sharks in the ascendency before the Saints unleashed a blistering 15-0 run with Troy Plumtree, Arthur Pilcher and Tyrael Heke each contributing multiple scores.

Hayden Collier had the last say of the half but the Sharks trailed 23-12 at the interval and were still well in arears at three-quarter time (27-18).

A couple of Tukaha Cooper buckets offered a glimmer of hope for the Sharks early in the fourth but that was quickly snuffed out by a Marnie Dougall-Mita three and a Kazlo Evans trip to the foul line.

Mills Albert Pathways Wellington Saints 34 – Evans Jr 10pts & 3a, Plumtree 7pts, Heke 6pts, Pilcher 4pts & 5rebs

Southland Sharks 26 – Bertinshaw 12pts, Cooper 4pts, Collier 4pts, Webster 3pts & 5rebs

A put-back from Patrick Freeman, with 3.7 seconds to play, propelled Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets to an exciting 36-35 win against Property Brokers Manawatu Jets at the Edgar Centre, Dunedin on Thursday night.

Early on Mac Stodart, making his first appearance of the season for the Nuggets, scored the first 7 points of the contest but with Tyson Thata and Tinashe Matambanadzo combining for 15 points the Jets held a 19-18 advantage at half-time.

Despite a Michael Ruske three Tautoko Wynyard and Thata helped the Jets to a 28-25 three-quarter time lead and when Matambanadzo drained a triple with 90 seconds to play the Jets were 33-29 ahead and in the driving seat.

Stodard and Bardsley then trimmed the margin to a single point but a Thata jumper with 19 seconds to play looked as if it would give the Jets their first win of the season.

However, amongst a sea of bodies the ever improving Freeman came up with the winning play – a crucial offensive rebound and make.

Spare a thought for the Jets – the loss condemned them to a third straight one-point defeat!

Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets 36 – Stodart 17pts, Freeman 9pts, Bardsley 5pts

Property Brokers Manawatu Jets 35 – Thata 14pts & 5rebs, Matambanadzo 13pts, Wynyard 6pts & 5rebs

Debutant Tushal Singh made a strong impression as the Indian Panthers held off Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai to win 33-31 at Pulman Arena on Friday night.

The former India U18 international scored with his first shot in Panthers colours and went on to tally a game high 14 points on an efficient 6 from 9 shooting.

Singh had 11 points in the first half and with Zack Te Puni dominating in the paint the Panthers bossed the opening spell to lead 23-15.

Xander Marsters and Jett Thompson dropped triples for the Whai but with Stephan Paea and Cooper Lepou adding to the Panthers score the hosts were 31-24 to the good at three-quarter time.

Jayden Bezzant and Maioro Greensill trimmed the deficit and when Marsters landed a jumper with 1:16 to play the scores were tied at 31 points apiece.

Both teams created good scoring looks but it was ultimately a pair of free-throws by Dante Matakatea that clinched a third win of the season for the new boys on the block.

Indian Panthers 33 – T Singh 14pts, Paea 6pts, Lepou 5pts & 5rebs, Te Puni 4pts, 8rebs & 2blks

Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai 32 – Thompson 8pts, Marsters 8pts, Bezzant 7pts, Boucher 5rebs

Playing with the minimum five players Franklin Bulls found the going too tough at the Trafalgar Centre on Friday night losing 41-31 to NBS Nelson Giants.

Hayden Jones, headed to a season high 14 points, scored the opening 5 points and with Kaleb Chamberlain, Lachie Crate and Coen Williams weighing in with threes the defending champions had a 19-8 lead at half-time.

Zion Anderson hit back for the Bulls with 6 points in the third but that was bettered by two by James Matthews – Giants on top 29-16 at the three-quarter mark.

The Bulls had marginally the better of the final term thanks to 8 points from Payton Hughes and a collectors piece – a KC Nwafor triple!

The Bulls centre finished with 7 points, 7 rebounds and a couple of blocks but it was the Giants that continued their winning start to the season.

NBS Nelson Giants 41– Jones 14pts, Matthews 8pts & 5a, Crate 5pts, Chamberlain 5pts

Franklin Bulls 31 – Anderson 8pts, Hughes 8pts, Vano 7pts, Nwafor 7pts, 7rebs & 2blks

Despite being held scoreless in the opening period Total Energies Hawks came back to defeat Taranaki Steeelformers Airs 32-29 in New Plymouth on Saturday afternoon.

Trailing 12-0 at quarter time and 18-11 at half-time the Hawks comeback was led by Isaac Allan. The 17 year-old, out of Napier Boys High School, scored 12 points either side of three-quarter time to carry the Hawks to a 26-24 lead.

Riley Tuuta (10 points) and Scott Telfer replied for the Airs but a couple of back door layups from Ryder Moore put the finishing touches to an unlikely Hawks win.

Allan finished with a career high 15 points making 6 from 9 from the field including 3 from 6 from beyond the arc.

Taranaki Steeelformers Airs 29 – Tuuta 10pts, Bailey 6pts, Telfer 6pts & 6rebs, Exeter 6pts

Total Energies Hawks 32 – Allan 15pts & 6rebs, Murphy 7pts, Moore 4pts & 4 assists

The two winless teams met in Invercargill on Saturday night where Tyson Thata put on a clinic to steer Property Brokers Manawatu Jets to a comprehensive 42-26 win against Southland Sharks.

Thata scored 25 points to equal Matt Bardsley’s effort for the Nuggets last season. Remarkably he did so by three-quarter time but didn’t add to his score in the final period.

Thata made three of his five threes in the opening half with his 17 points carrying the Jets to a massive 24-7 lead.

The Sharks were playing for pride in the second half and to their credit they edged that spell with Dane Bertinshaw scoring 10 points and Quake Webster 8.

For the victors Tinashe Matambanadzo scored 7 points against his former club while Hikaia Lambert was a workhorse with 6 rebounds and 3 blocks to add to a couple of points.

Southland Sharks 26 – Bertinshaw 10pts, Webster 8pts, Collier 2pts & 6rebs

Property Brokers Manawatu Jets 42 – Thata 25pts, Matambanadzo 7pts, Crowley 6pts, Lambert 2pts, 6rebs & 3blks

Mills Albert Pathways Wellington Saints made it two wins in the round after holding off BBQ’s Direct Canterbury Rams to win 29-25 at Cowles Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

In a cut and thrust encounter the trio of Arthur Pilcher, Lukah Ricards and Kazlo Evans Jr led the way for the Saints – an Evans Jr three inside the final minute followed by a brace of free-throws got the Saints home.

On a day when their offence struggled Jake Holmes was the best for the Rams with 9 points.

BBQ’s Direct Canterbury Rams 25 – Holmes 9pts & 5rebs, Bond 5pts, Martin 5pts

Mills Albert Pathways Wellington Saints 29 – Pilcher 9pts, Richards 8pts, Evans Jr 7pts

Also winning a second game of the round were NBS Nelson Giants, who proved too good for hosts Auckland Tuatara, winning 40-24.

Dylan Wilkie was a shining light for the Tuatara with 12 points. But the Giants all-around scoring punch proved too good for the now 2-2 Tuatara. Caleb Chamberlain scored a dozen points with the other key contributors being the U17 National Team trio of James Matthews, Lachy Crate and Hayden Jones.

The win sees the Giants remain unbeaten with four straight wins to open the 2025 Rapid League Season

Auckland Tuatara 24 – Wilkie 12 pts, Ione 5pts,

NBS Nelson Giants 40 – Chamberlain 12pts, Matthews 7pts & 4ast, Crate 7pts, Jones 6pts & 3ast

Simply Rapid

Tyson Thata equalled the Rapid League single game best score in scoring 25 points for Property Brokers Manawatu Jets in their big win against Southland Sharks.

In tying the Matt Bardsley effort from last season Thata took his season tally to 82 points and his career total to 215 points – both league bests.

Rapid Facts

Tuatara stalwart Nick Barrow logged his 100th Rapid point during the win in Tauranga and now holds the distinction of being the only player to have played in all a club’s Rapid League games.

Leading into the round Franklin Bulls forward Halasiale Maile and Whai guard Te Tuhi Lewis had also played every game for their clubs.

However with Lewis away on 3×3 Tall Blacks duty and Maile missing the Bulls game in Nelson Barrow is now the sole owner of that record.

Incidentally 3×3 Tall Blacks also included Nuggets wing Christian Martin for their trip to the 3×3 FIBA Asia Cup in Singapore.

Troy Plumtree has played his last game of the season for Wellington Saints. The NZ U17 representative is headed to Cal Poly, to begin his Division I scholarship, earlier than expected.

Rapid Ladder

4-0 Giants

3-1 Saints, Nuggets, Panthers

3-2 Hawks

2-2 Tuatara, Rams, Airs

2-3 Whai

1-4 Bulls, Jets

0-4 Sharks