In the opening game of the round, the Whai traveled to Christchurch hoping to snap a two-game skid and stay within reach of the top of the ladder. The Rams, however, were aiming to reignite their own winning ways.
The Whai struck first, limiting the home side to just 6 points in the first quarter while five different players scored to build a 7-point lead at the first break. Defense remained the focus in the second quarter, with Jayden Bezzant’s steady shooting and Xanda Marsters’ strong drives pushing the Whai to a 20–11 halftime advantage.
Bezzant dropped 10 points in the third, and the Whai extended their lead to 14 heading into the final quarter. The Rams' offense finally clicked in the fourth, led by Tama Isaac’s effort during a 17-point surge. But the early damage had been done, and the Whai held the charging Rams at arm’s length to close out a 40–35 win.
BBQ’s Direct Canterbury Rams 35 - Tony Worthington (10pts, 5rbs), Tama Isaac (8pts, 1rb, 1ast, 2stls)
Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai 40 - Jayden Bezzant (16pts, 1rb, 6-7 fg's), Xanda Marsters (10pts, 3rbs, 1ast)
The week continued as the Tuatara looked to extend their winning streak against a Jets team still searching for consistency. Both teams focused on the paint early before KC Ioane completed a three-point play to give Auckland an 11–8 lead after one.
Tautoko Wynyard opened and closed the scoring in the second, but it was Zach Riley who finished the half with 7 straight points to double the lead, 22–16. Riley and Ioane kept up the scoring after the break, but it was the Tuatara defense that made the difference—holding the Jets to just 3 points in the third quarter.
The Tuatara found another gear in the fourth, pouring in 15 points while continuing to lock down defensively. The Jets were held without a double-digit scorer, and Auckland marched to a 45–27 victory—their fourth straight.
Property Brokers Manawatu Jets 27 - Tinashe Matambanadzo (8pts, 2rbs, 3ast), Tyson Thata-Paese (7pts, 2ast)
Auckland Tuatara 45 - Zach Riley (14pts, 7rbs), Dylan Wilkie (13pts, 2-3 3pfg)
Next up, the top-of-the-table Giants hosted the surging Nuggets. Nelson came out firing, with Hayden Jones scoring 7 points in the opening quarter while the Giants’ defense held Otago to just 6.
The second quarter saw the Giants catch fire from beyond the arc, knocking down 5 triples while holding the Nuggets to just 5 points—all scored by Christian Martin. At the half, the Giants led 26–11.
The Nuggets looked to rally in the third, but the Giants again hit double figures and kept their grip on the contest. Nelson cruised home to a 39–26 win, shooting over 50% from deep and holding Otago to just 32% from the field and 20% from long range.
NBS Nelson Giants 39 - Hayden Jones (21pts, 1rb, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk). James Matthews (6pts, 2rbs, 3ast), Lachlan Crate (5pts, 4rbs)
Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets 26 - Christian Martin (6pts, 2rbs, 1ast, 1stl), Liam Boomer (5pts), Darcy Knox (5pts, 2rbs, 1ast)
Auckland traveled to the capital aiming to build on a four-game winning streak against a Saints team desperate to end a three-game slide.
The Tuatara scored 28 first-half points behind strong interior play from Nick Barrow and perimeter shooting from Dylan Wilkie, taking a 3-point lead into the break. The Saints kept close with a well-balanced attack and ramped up their pressure after halftime, forcing turnovers and shifting momentum.
Lukah Richards and Arthur Pilcher helped cut the lead to one by the end of the third. In the fourth, Rangimarie Dougall-Mita and Pilcher sparked a surge to take a 4-point lead with under two minutes to play. Back-to-back threes from Zach Riley and KC Ioane reclaimed the lead for Auckland, but Dougall-Mita tied it with free throws with 30 seconds left.
A Richards steal set up Pilcher for the game-winning basket with 3 seconds remaining, and he sealed the 45–43 win with a steal at the buzzer. Despite the Tuatara shooting 68% from the field, the Saints forced 7 turnovers and earned a 5-point advantage at the line to get the job done.
Mills Albert Pathways Wellington Saints 45 - Rangimarie Dougall-Mita (9pts, 1rb, 2ast), Arthur Pilcher (9pts, 2rbs, 2ast, 1stl, 1blk), Lukah Richards (8pts, 2rbs, 3ast, 5stls)
Auckland Tuatara 43 - Dylan Wilkie (13pts, 1rb), KC Ioane (10pts, 2rbs, 1ast, 1blk)
The Hawks hosted the Airs in a match where both teams were missing key players due to national team duties. It showed early, with no scoring in the first two minutes before Ezrah Eagle broke the drought with 6 straight points to help the Hawks to an 8–2 lead at the break.
Kade Cartwright opened the second quarter with the game’s first three-pointer, but the Hawks relied on free throws from there as the Airs slowly steadied. The lead remained at 6.
Cam Quinnell made an impact in the third, and with both teams grinding through a low-scoring period, the lead shrank to 3 heading into the fourth. But fatigue caught up to the Airs, who played without a substitution, as the Hawks' fresher legs took over. Zoram Smiler led the way in the final term, and a Dante Matakatea triple at the buzzer capped a 33–22 win.
Total Energies Hawks 33 - Zoram Smiler (8pts, 3rbs), Ezrah Eagle (8pts, 5rbs, 2ast), Kade Cartwright (6pts, 2rbs, 1ast)
Taranaki Steeelformers Airs 22 - Cam Quinnell (9pts, 3rbs), Quintin Bailey (6pts, 8rbs, 1ast)
The final game of the round saw the Bulls head south to face the Sharks, who were coming off just their second win of the season. Franklin had other ideas, clamping down defensively from the outset and holding Southland to just 7 points in the first half.
Tobias Cameron, in his first Rapid League appearance this season, and Payton Hughes led an efficient Bulls offense. Hughes and Cameron each scored 18 points, combining for 10 made threes as the Bulls connected on 13 triples in total.
The Sharks finally showed life offensively in the final term, but it was far too late. Franklin closed out an emphatic 50–29 win, gaining steam as the season comes down the stretch.
Southland Sharks 29 - Johnny Helu (8pts, 3rbs, 3ast), Hayden Collier (6pts, 1rb, 2ast), Brayden Inger (6pts, 2rbs, 1ast)
Franklin Bulls 50 - Tobias Cameron (18pts, 4rbs, 2ast, 1stl), Payton Hughes (18pts, 1rb, 1ast, 3stls), K.C. Nwafor (1pt, 4rbs, 2ast, 2blks, 2stls)
Rapid Stats Leaders and Standings
| Position | Team | GP | W | L | %won | For | Agst | Points% | Last 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Nelson Giants | 17 | 14 | 3 | 82 | 632 | 513 | 123 | L W W W W |
| 2 |  |
Tauranga Whai | 16 | 11 | 5 | 68 | 574 | 525 | 109 | W W L L W |
| 3 |  |
Wellington Saints | 16 | 10 | 6 | 62 | 544 | 520 | 104 | W L L L W |
| 4 |  |
Canterbury Rams | 15 | 9 | 6 | 60 | 568 | 542 | 104 | W W L W L |
| 5 |  |
Otago Nuggets | 16 | 9 | 7 | 56 | 532 | 527 | 100 | W L W W L |
| 6 |  |
Hawkes Bay Hawks | 17 | 9 | 8 | 52 | 553 | 598 | 92 | W W L L W |
| 7 |  |
Auckland Tuatara | 16 | 8 | 8 | 50 | 574 | 561 | 102 | W W W W L |
| 8 |  |
Taranaki Airs | 16 | 6 | 10 | 37 | 518 | 563 | 92 | W W L L L |
| 9 |  |
Manawatū Jets | 15 | 5 | 10 | 33 | 546 | 549 | 99 | L W W L L |
| 10 |  |
Franklin Bulls | 16 | 5 | 11 | 31 | 561 | 606 | 92 | L L L L W |
| 11 |  |
Southland Sharks | 16 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 508 | 606 | 83 | L L L W L |
League Leaders
| Tyson Thata- Paese | Manawatū Jets | 15.4 |
| Tama Isaac | Canterbury Rams | 11.3 |
| Hayden Jones | Nelson Giants | 10.8 |
| Jayden Bezzant | Tauranga Whai | 10.3 |
| Christian Martin | Otago Nuggets | 10.1 |
| Xanda Marsters | Tauranga Whai | 9.7 |
| Jake Holmes | Canterbury Rams | 9.6 |
| Mana Martin | Canterbury Rams | 9.5 |
| Mac Stodart | Otago Nuggets | 9.2 |
| Tinashe Matambanadzo | Manawatū Jets | 9.1 |
Assists Per Game
| Kazlo Evans | Wellington Saints | 2.9 |
| Christian Vano | Franklin Bulls | 2.8 |
| Joshua Leger | Auckland Tuatara | 2.5 |
| Jett Thompson | Tauranga Whai | 2.2 |
| Hayden Jones | Nelson Giants | 2.2 |
| Tama Isaac | Canterbury Rams | 2.0 |
| James Matthews | Nelson Giants | 1.9 |
| Tinashe Matambanadzo | Manawatū Jets | 1.8 |
| Kobe Kara | Hawkes Bay Hawks | 1.8 |
| Caleb Smiler | Otago Nuggets | 1.8 |
Rebounds Per Game
| K.C. Nwafor | Franklin Bulls | 5.5 |
| Joshua Leger | Auckland Tuatara | 4.5 |
| Riley Snow | Southland Sharks | 4.3 |
| Lukah Richards | Wellington Saints | 4.1 |
| Tautoko Wynyard | Manawatū Jets | 4.1 |
| Samuel Dempster | Nelson Giants | 4.0 |
| Kobe Kara | Hawkes Bay Hawks | 3.8 |
| Ihaka Cate | Canterbury Rams | 3.8 |
| Hikaia Lambert | Manawatū Jets | 3.7 |
| Quintin Bailey | Taranaki Airs | 3.7 |
Steals Per Game
| Jett Thompson | Jett Thompson | 1.5 |
| Caleb Smiler | Otago Nuggets | 1.4 |
| Kazlo Evans | Wellington Saints | 1.3 |
| Tinashe Matambanadzo | Manawatū Jets | 1.3 |
| Tawhiri Cate | Canterbury Rams | 1.1 |
| Lukah Richards | Wellington Saints | 1.1 |
| Christian Vano | Franklin Bulls | 1.0 |
| Maioro Greensill | Tauranga Whai | 1.0 |
| Riley Tuuta | Taranaki Airs | 1.0 |
| Tamatoa Isaac | Canterbury Rams | 1.0 |
