GAME PREVIEW
Concentration and execution are two areas both the Airs and Rams had critical lapses in for the first round match-ups. The two teams were in the fight for the majority of their games, but failed to capitalise on their opportunities to put themselves in a better position. Some positives for the Airs to take out of their trip to Nelson are that four of their starters scored 12 or more points and as a team stole the ball 12 times. On the flip-side, they themselves turned the ball over 16 times and only had one player finish the game with a positive plus/minus. The Rams play the Rangers on Saturday, which gives them the opportunity to finish the Easter Weekend above .500 in the win column. They shot the ball unbelievably well in the first half in front of vocal Southland crowd and will look to keep that same energy in their quest to conquer the peak. The Cantabs present a different challenge to the Airs than what they faced against the Giants and will keep them honest from the perimeter. As for whether or not the Rams can turn their outside shooting presence into points in the paint, we will have to wait and see.
BROADCAST
Live Stats: follow all the stats at https://www.fibalivestats.com/u/NZN/1108707/
AIRS
Starting 5
14. Alonzo Burton (guard)
8. Derone Raukawa (guard)
3. Daniel Gomis (centre)
21. Chris Early (forward)
1. Kevin Foster (forward)
Bench
5. Xavier Shaw (forward)
7. Houston O’Riley (guard)
22. Aaron Bailey-Nowell (forward)
2. Oscar Roberston (guard)
10. Dane Brooks (guard)
6. Latrell Teka-Wall (guard)
20. Thane O'Leary (forward)
Coach: David Bublitz
Assistant: Andrew Green
Assistant: Shay Haira
Manager: Bean Seddon
Physio: Mick McBeth
From The Coach – David Bublitz
Game one was a disappointing start to the season. The team started well but a momentum shift in the 3rd quarter saw us on the wrong side of a 10-0 run. Ultimately leading to a victory for the Giants. Reducing turnovers, controlling tempo and doing a better job in effort areas are things we need to be better at for this next game against the Rams.
RAMS
Starting 5
4. Emmett Naar (guard)
3. Cam Gliddon (guard)
1. Luke Aston (guard)
17. Isaiah Wilkins (forward)
44. Mike Karena (forward)
Bench
5. Taylor Britt (guard)
10. Sam Smith (guard)
25. Tony Tolovae (guard)
30. Toby Gillooly (guard)
9. Jonathan Janssen (forward)
45. Brent Fisher (forward)
Alex Talma (forward)
Coach: Mick Downer
Assistant: Terry Brunel
Assistant: Piet Van Hasselt
Manager: Raewyn Britt
Physio: Lidia Belles
From The Coach – Mick Downer
To complete our double-header we fly down to Taranaki from Auckland after a travel day on Sunday. Taranaki have a long history in the league and traditionally play with a strong defensive focus. Their locals fight hard and they have a good mix of veterans and local Taranaki youngsters. The matches in recent times have been highly competitive and we are expecting that once again.
